Restoration
by ecocolatte
Summary: Blaise and Hermione return to Hogwarts for their 8th year, both more broken than ever. Together, they must work together to rebuild trust among the students as head boy and head girl. As new threats arise, they realize that maybe they can repair in each other what the war had damaged.
1. Chapter 1: The Battle of Hogwarts

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic ever. I absolutely love the Blaise/Hermione pairing and there aren't enough of them out there. Any reviews, favorites, and follows would be much appreciated! Please also note that this story takes place after the final battle at Hogwarts.**

* * *

Blaise could remember the exact moment he gave up on neutrality.

 _As the death eaters and dark monsters ravaged through Hogwarts, he caught a glimpse of the Golden Trio narrowly dodge curses as they ran past him. He had been hiding as best he could in the shadows behind a pile of rubble. It was best if he stayed out of the fight._

 _To his left he saw the Carrows race out of a nearby classroom, hurling curses left and right. Suddenly, Goyle appeared behind him and hauled him up._

 _"Come on! The rest of Slytherin is leaving," he called, running towards a crowd of green-robed students racing down a hallway. Blaise quickly followed, but as he caught up to Goyle Draco had appeared behind them and pulled them into the Room of Requirement._

 _"Potter has my wand," Draco explained. "We'll leave once I have it back." Blaise was slightly irked that Draco had once again blindly assumed he would do as he was told. His life was on the line and he could easily die just to retrieve a bloody wand that wasn't even his. Before he could respond, the Golden Trio was suddenly there as well._

 _After a few harsh words were exchanged, Blaise's eyes widened as he recognized the wand pattern that Goyle was beginning._

 _"Wait! Don't-" but it was too late. The fiendfyre had already begun tearing the room apart. Quickly, they climbed on top of a pile of furniture. He looked down in horror to see Goyle fall into his own flames. The Golden Trio flew by them on brooms. That's when he made brief eye contact with Granger. He could see a moment of indecision in her eyes, but it passed quickly as she hurled a curse to part the flames in front of her._

 _Then he heard something he never thought he would. Draco choked back a sob next to him, expecting death as the flames licked the table they were standing on. "Blaise," Draco began. But Blaise didn't want to hear it. Before Draco could continue, he saw the three broomsticks circle back in the distance towards them. They were coming back for them!_

 _They missed them the first time, but they still circled back again. This time, they were flying at them in a line, Potter, then Weasely, then Granger last. Draco jumped onto the back of Potter's broom. Weasley reached his hand out, but Blaise just barely missed it. Granger reached out for him and without hesitation, he took her arm and jumped onto the back of her broom. He wrapped his arms around her small waist and held on for dear life as they dodged the flames and objects falling all around them._

 _Granger pulled ahead of Potter and Weasley, leading the charge out of the room. Blaise looked behind them to see that the flames had now morphed into the face of Voldemort himself. Just before the flames could reach them, they flew out the door. But due to their speed and the pillars ahead, none of them had time to properly stop, and they all went flying off the brooms. Still holding onto Granger, he turned his body so that he took most of the impact as they collided with the hard and broken floor._

 _He hissed in pain as the jagged stones cut into his back as they landed rather ungracefully. He barely registered Draco running off in the other direction and briefly wondered if he should follow. Granger pushed herself up and yelled at them to destroy the diadem. The Golden Trio did what they always did best. He watched with awe as Potter sliced through the diadem and was shoved backwards as a large burst of dark energy erupted from it, and Weasely kicked it back into the room. Granger slashed her wand at the doors and they slammed shut just before the fire could get out._

 _He propped himself up into a sitting position, gritting his teeth as he felt blood running down his back. Potter murmured something the other two that was drowned out by the background noise of the battle and took off running down the hall. Granger paused though and looked back at him._

 _"Hermione, come on!" He heard Weasley call in the distance. She knelt down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder._

 _"Thank you," she said. And with that, she took off running after them._

 _Blaise stood up and cautiously walked toward the courtyard until he heard a familiar voice calling to him._

 _"Blaise!" A voice called frantically from the hall behind him. He couldn't believe it._

 _"Mother? What are you doing here!? It's not safe!" He yelled as he ran over to his mother. Her usually neat black hair was now in disarray and parts of her dress were ripped._

 _"When I heard of the battle I came for you! We must go now." She held her hand out to him for them to apparate. But before he could reach her, a curse exploded between them, forcing them apart._

 _"Well, well. What do we have here?" A high pitched voice sing-songed. Bellatrix Lestrange stalked towards them with an animalistic gleam in her eye._

 _His mother stepped in front of him, wand at her side but gripped tightly. "Please, we're neutral. We're Slytherin. Let us leave," she said to the woman. Blaise drew his wand, eyeing the crazy death eater before them._

 _"Expelliaramus!" Bellatrix threw the curse and his mother's wand flew out of her hand and landed several feet behind them, then threw a body binding curse at Blaise before he could move. "If you're not with the Dark Lord, you're against him!" She hissed and pointed her wand at his mother._

 _"No!" he yelled, but it was too late. His mother screamed in agony as she was put under the cruciatus curse. "Please, stop!" he begged, but Bellatrix wasn't listening. Instead, she cackled with sick joy as the woman writhed underneath her._

 _Blaise looked on helplessly, struggling against the body bind. Suddenly, Bellatrix winced in pain and studied her forearm for a minute. He could make out the dark mark moving on its own accord. Flashing him a twisted smile, she cackled once more before uttering the fateful words._

 _"Avada Kedavra!" She shouted with glee._

 _"NO!" Blaise screamed as the green curse hit his mother and she lay still._

 _"Let this be a lesson that blood traitors are not tolerated," the death eater hissed at him, releasing him from the binds before hitting him with a powerful cutting hex and apparating._

 _Blaise felt the curse slice across his chest, blood soaking the front of his shirt. But that didn't matter._

 _He knelt down beside his mother, and for the first time in many years, he cried. Pulling her into his arms he sobbed into her hair, willing her to come back to life. He didn't know how long he sat like that in the dark corridor as the fight raged on in the courtyard. He was only vaguely aware of when the school nurse, Poppy, found him, still holding his mother. The fighting had come to a standstill as the death eaters had retreated for the time being. Poppy gently pulled him away from his mother, his own blood covering her body since he had been holding her against his bleeding chest. She helped him to the great hall where the other survivors had gathered and quickly began bandaging his cut._

 _"This is going to leave a scar, but the bleeding has stopped. I'm sorry, but I don't have any pain potions and I must tend to the other students," she said, wiping her hands on her blood-stained apron. In his numb state of shock, Blaise wondered if that was all his blood, or the blood of the other students._

 _When he did not respond, Poppy took his hand in hers and looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Zabini. I didn't know your mother, but I'm sure she was a wonderful woman."_

 _After she left, the pain started to kick in. He lay back in his cot on the floor, relishing the moment of peace until he felt his own hot tears trickle down his face._

 _An hour later, all hell had broken loose. Blaise watched from inside the great hall, clutching his freshly bandaged chest as Potter and Voldemort began their final duel. Although he was slightly delirious from the pain in his chest, he hobbled over to the stairs where he saw Granger and Weasely running from the giant snake that Voldemort usually kept close. Before it could get to them, Neville Longbottom sliced its head off with the sword of Gryffindor, and from the corner of his eye he saw Bellatrix enter the great hall. And in that moment, he decided that he would no longer stand by and be neutral._

 _A powerful surge of anger rushed through him as he drew his wand and charged towards her from behind. "Reducto!" He yelled. Bellatrix whipped around and summoned a shield to block his curse, but part of the curse clipped the pillar near her and blasted her a few feet away where she landed on her back._

 _He wasted no time firing all the spells he knew at the evil woman in front of him. To his dismay, she successfully blocked all of them while getting up._

 _"Careful, dearie," she sneered at him. "Wouldn't want to end up like mommie now would you?" She fired an unfamiliar orange curse at him and he barely raised a shield in time. The curse slammed into his shield, breaking part of it. Before he could react, she sent another curse at him. "Although, a blood traitor has no place in this world anyway!" The curse threw him backwards into the wall, aggravating his already injured back and reopening the gash on his chest as he fell to the floor. He felt fresh blood running down his face from the back of his head and felt dizzy._

 _All the fight left him as he finally saw the dreaded green curse shoot out of her wand in his direction. As if bored by him already, she turned away before checking to see if it hit him and ran into the great hall, firing curses. He would later find out that she was killed by Molly Weasley._

 _Blaise closed his eyes as the green light sped towards him, but suddenly felt a violent tug yank him out of the way and hurl him towards the steps behind him. The green curse hit the floor harmlessly where he had been laying merely a second before._

 _Now the pain from all of his wounds combined was too much for him to handle. He felt gentle hands touch the sides of his face and thought of his mother before he passed out._

 _When he woke up he was laying in a cot again under a blanket. There were fresh bandages on his chest and his back. Someone must have given him a pain relief potion because for the moment he was only mildly sore. As he sat up Poppy came to his side helping him._

 _"Thank heavens you're alright. Now sit up slowly, you don't want to reopen your wounds again. That's it," she propped him up against a pillow._

 _"What happened?" He asked._

 _"You had quite a duel with Bellatrix Lestrange. She almost killed you too. Miss Granger saved you and brought you back here."_

 _"Granger…she saved me?"_

 _"Yes. She was almost too late. Bellatrix threw the killing curse at you." Blaise began recalling the details now._

 _"My mother…" Poppy lowered her eyes and took his hand._

 _"They've taken all the bodies to the morgue at the ministry of magic. You'll be contacted soon."_

 _"I see…" It was all too much for him. "And Granger?"_

 _"I believe she's out on the bridge," she said. A loud cry of pain erupted from another student in a cot nearby. "I must go help the others now." She let go of his hand and left. Blaise slowly got to his feet and made his way to the bridge._

 _He stopped at the entrance to the bridge. He could see the Golden Trio on the other side, their backs to him. Potter chucked a wand over the side and the three stared off into the distance, wrapped up in their own world._

 _He decided that it wasn't the right time to approach Granger. After all, what would he even say? She probably wouldn't even want anything to do with him given everything that had just happened._

 _Another time then, he thought to himself, and made his way back to the castle._

Now, sitting on the Hogwarts train heading back to his 8th year, stared out the window lost in his own thoughts. Much had changed since the defeat of Voldemort. All the remaining death eaters had been sent to Azkaban. The Golden Trio had been branded as war heroes. Potter and Weasely had bathed in the limelight for a while, but soon grew tired of it. He didn't know what happened to Granger.

After the battle, he returned to the family manor to take care of himself. The house elves helped take care of his wounds, and for that he was grateful. The ministry summoned him later to go over his mother's will, that she had left everything to him. However, _everything_ included many things. His mother ran several large and famous vineyards both in England and in Italy. Also included were their other estates in Switzerland and Germany. There had been much more paperwork than he had been anticipating. He hired the best lawyers he could to make sure that the ministry didn't swindle him out of anything.

After that, there was nothing but time. Time to prepare the funeral. It was small but elegant. Only a few family friends were there. It rained at the service. It was almost silly at how cliché it was. His mother would have laughed about it.

Blaise fell into a deep depression after everyone left. He'd fallen out of touch with his Slytherin acquaintances and his extended family only really cared about his money. Alone in a large manor, he read to pass the time. Since all of their vineyards already had managers, he saw no reason to step in and take charge. Besides, the managers probably wouldn't think much of an eighteen year old running a family legacy-born company.

A few weeks later he received a letter from Hogwarts inviting him back for an 8th year in place of the poor education his 7th year brought him. Blaise had debated for a week whether or not to go back. He would be outcast because he was a Slytherin, but it would be better than moping around the mansion.

What he hadn't expected was for Headmistress McGonagall to ask him to be head boy.

"Your grades were outstanding your entire time at Hogwarts and you performed dutifully as a prefect," she had told him over the floo.

He had accepted due to the fact that it meant aside from the head girl, he would have his own room and comfortable privacy. Besides, he didn't think he could handle being around many other people at once, nor living with anyone he previously knew. The war had changed him more than he realized, and he needed to figure out who he really was underneath it all.

There was a knock on his train compartment door. "Come in," he called. The door slid open and his eyes widened. Before him stood none other than Hermione Granger.

"Granger," he greeted with a stiff nod.

"Zabini," she replied, eyeing his head boy badge. She pulled hers out of her robes pocket. "I'm the new head girl."

Blaise suddenly felt awkward and sighed. This was going to be an interesting year.


	2. Chapter 2: Settling In

**Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with me so far! As always, any favorites, follows, and reviews are much appreciated!**

* * *

Much had changed for Hermione since the war. After the final battle she stayed with the Weasleys since she had no home to go back to. She'd tried locating her parents in Australia for weeks and even hired a personal investigator but didn't have any luck. While the papers made a large fuss over Harry and Ron, she'd opted to stay out of the limelight. The spotlight only lasted a few weeks though before Harry became annoyed by it and Ron's temper started flaring out of control and he hit a photographer.

Ron….

She thought everything would be fine after their shared kiss during the final battle. After all, she had wanted to be with him practically her entire life. Then they found out Fred died. Fred's death broke something, not only in Ron, but all the Weasleys. They all mourned together and fell into a dark depression. The house became quiet and cold. Dinners that used to be full of laughter and joy were now silent and quick. Molly threw herself into housework, cooking, cleaning, and re-cleaning things that didn't need to be. Arthur stayed away from everyone as much as possible, working late nights whenever he could. George ran the joke shop by himself and visited so rarely that seeing him at dinner was a shock. Ginny hid in her room all summer and wouldn't let anyone get close to her, even Harry. Billy and Percy went on with their lives, writing occasionally, but avoided the family entirely.

She and Ron never talked about Fred's death even though she tried to get him to open up about it. Whenever she brought it up he would become moody and unreasonable. Despite this, she thought that together they could work through it. That wasn't the case.

Ron's depression over Fred's death manifested itself into a nasty drinking habit and he would often come home raging drunk and developed anger problems. The rest of the Weasleys were too much in their own depression to address it, and either ignored it or pretended that Ron was fine.

Harry bought his own flat near the ministry and accepted the offer to begin early auror training. He even offered to let Hermione live with him but she declined, believing that she could help Ron, and eventually the family, with his grief if she was there.

It all came to an end one night when he tried to force himself on her in his drunken state.

 _"Stop it, Ron!" Hermione hissed at him, pushing his arms off her shoulders. He had cornered her against his bedroom wall and reeked of fire whiskey._

 _"Come on, Hermione," he slurred. "You never let me touch you. It will be fun," he said reaching for the buttons on her shirt._

 _"I don't want to, Ron. Especially not when you're like this!" She shoved against his chest but he wouldn't budge. He looked up at her enraged._

 _"What's that supposed to mean? Like what?" He demanded, lowering his face inches from hers._

 _"You're not yourself, Ron. You haven't been for months. You're drunk all the time and you're angry at every little thing that reminds you of Fred. I'm sick of it! Now get off of me."_

 _"Don't you DARE talk about my brother. In fact, don't talk at all. If you won't give me what I want I'll just take it!" He shoved his mouth onto hers and ripped her shirt open._

 _Before he could do anything else, Hermione kneed him hard in the groin and punched him in the face. That seemed to sober him up for a moment as he looked at her, coming out of his daze and releasing her._

 _"Mione, I-" he began with wide eyes, but she apparated to Harry's flat before he could continue._

 _Harry took one look at her, pulled her into his arms and showed her to his spare bedroom. He told her the next morning that he had punched Ron after gathering her things, and he now had two black eyes._

 _Hermione stayed with Harry for a few weeks before she received her Hogwarts letter from McGonagall and accepted it without hesitation._

Honestly, Hermione felt hollower inside than ever before in her life. Not only did she not have her parents anymore, she also had lost a close childhood friend in Ron, and Harry was far too busy with auror training and beginning a new chapter in his life to worry about anything else. She hoped that returning to Hogwarts and coming back to finish her education would at least spark some excitement in her.

Now, seeing Blaise Zabini as head boy, all the horrible memories of the final battle and what came after were flooding back.

She cautiously sat down on the bench across from him in the head's compartment. She noticed he was wearing a silver pendant around his neck. It was of a small rose wrapped around a shield with intricate patterns and details.

"I like your pendant," she said quietly.

"It was my mothers'," he said looking down at it.

"I heard about your mother. I'm sorry," she said earnestly. He looked out the window.

"Thank you."

The door slid open again and Headmistresses McGonagall came in carrying two dark blue folders.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Zabini," she greeted handed them each one. They smiled in response. "Thank you for returning for your 8th year. I know everything has changed after the war, but I assure you that I'm doing my best to get all of Hogwarts back on track. Now, as head boy and head girl you will be responsible for directing the prefects, assigning and taking away house points, patrolling past curfew, and assist me in planning school events. Any questions?"

"School events?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. This year I have decided to host a winter ball as well as have a celebration of sorts in the spring. Since the Yule Ball went so well a few years ago I thought it might make Hogwarts more festive and alive again. All of the details are in these folders which outline your duties. Now, I must be going. The rest of the returning teachers must be briefed." With a warm smile and a nod, McGonagall left.

Hermione put the folder in her bag and looked out the window at the castle as it came into view in wonder. The workers had done a magnificent job over the summer restoring it to its former state. It looked as if the battle had never happened.

"They've fixed it rather well don't you think?" She asked Blaise.

"Quite," was his short reply. He didn't seem to be in much of talking mood, so she didn't talk to him the rest of the way.

When the train stopped McGonagall came back and took them to their dorm. A portrait of a young girl on a swing under a tree greeted them.

"The password is 'unity,' a theme which I hope that you will both work hard to promote this year. The welcome feast is tonight at six, and you should give the prefects their assignments afterwards."

Blaise gave the portrait the password and the door swung open to reveal a comfortable common room. There was a large fireplace in the middle against the wall surrounded by two large couches and a dark wood coffee table. In the corner there was a study area with a desk and a cabinet full of school supplies. Next to it, a door led out to a wide balcony which overlooked the east section of the castle and the quidditch pitch in the distance.

There were two doors on either side of the common room. Their house crests were on the top of each and they immediately went into their rooms.

Hermione couldn't contain the smile when she walked into her new room. There was a large bed covered in beautiful sheets in Gryffindor colors and a large window. She also had her own small bathroom. There was a simple desk next to her bed and a sizeable closet with a standing mirror in a thick gold frame next to it.

After she finished unpacking she headed down to the great hall. Many heads turned to look at her as she walked in, and she noticed people immediately start whispering. Doing her best to ignore them, she looked around for any familiar faces. At the Gryffindor table she saw Ginny, Luna, Neville, Dean, Seamus, and the Patel twins. Ginny and Dean sat close, murmuring to each other. The Patils sat with Dean and Seamus, and Luna and Neville were chatting amicably. Last year she would have sat with Ginny, but Ginny had become distant over the summer. Depressed by Fred's death, she shut herself away from everyone, even Harry. Just before Hermione and Ron's incident, she had overheard Ginny and Harry fighting. Apparently Ginny had been writing to Dean and kept it a secret.

"Hello, Hermione," Luna greeted and waved her over. "Did you have a nice summer?"

She inwardly winced. "It was alright I suppose. How about you two?" Neville scooted over and she sat next to him.

"Luna and I volunteered to help rebuild Hogwarts. It was a lot of hard work but it really paid off," Neville said, obviously beaming with pride.

"That's wonderful! You all did such an amazing job." Hermione talked pleasantly with them until the feast started, trying to ignore the painful memories that Luna unknowingly brought up.

* * *

Blaise looked around his room. Although it was smaller than his room at the manor, it was still equally as elegant with its dark green and silver color scheme. As he unpacked his things he couldn't help but think about Granger.

He hadn't thought she would be returning to Hogwarts given everything she had been through. Especially since Potter and Weasley apparently weren't returning either. He laughed at himself for his ridiculous assumption. Hermione Granger didn't get her reputation for being obsessive over school for nothing. Then again, Granger seemed different now. She looked as if she was lost in her own world and didn't have the same air of bossiness around her like she did in earlier years. Instead she seemed aloof, and unsure of herself sometimes.

Something about her though made Blaise feel bad. She was a reminder of all the things he hadn't done during the war, a reminder of the final battle which he had tried very hard to forget.

He couldn't avoid her since they were the heads, but that didn't mean he had to talk to her when it wasn't necessary.

He stayed in his room until it was time to go to the great feast. He sighed a breath of relief when he realized she had gone down ahead of him.

The Slytherin table was relatively quiet, but most of them gave him cold glares as he approached. Many of them had heard about him breaking his neutral oath and fighting a death eater. He supposed they now viewed him as a traitor even though the war was over. Draco sat at the end of the table alone and didn't look up. Blaise decided that Malfoy was still his best bet and sat across from him.

Draco finally looked up at him and Blaise was shocked at the emptiness he could see in his eyes. The war may have broken Blaise, but it had destroyed what was left of Draco.

"Head boy," he noted dully, eyeing Blaise's badge.

"Yeah…it was very unexpected."

Draco nodded, not offering anything else. They sat in a comfortable silence until the feast began. He looked over at the Gryffindor table which was quieter than usual but still chatting away. Granger sat with Longbottom and Lovegood, though she seemed uncomfortable. He briefly wondered why she wasn't sitting with the younger Weasley girl, but his thoughts were interrupted by McGonagall.

"Good evening everyone. I want to begin by saying that the events of the last seven years, and the last year in particular, will not be forgotten. The brave students who stood up against the death eaters threatening our core values are to be commended. I am relieved that all of us here are safe. Let us mourn for those that lost their lives, but remember that they would want us to keep on living, loving, and learning. This year is going to be very different from others. Your valued professors are going to be ensuring that we promote house unity, as a difference in beliefs is what drove the magical community apart the first time. We encourage all of you to sit with people from other houses, and get to know people on a wider scale. House pride is to be honored, but not at the risk of becoming prejudiced. In order to do so, we are hosting a winter ball and a spring celebration, a time for all houses to come together and socialize." Excited whispers filled the hall and McGonagall tapped on her class with her knife to quiet them. "Now, onto a pressing issue. For the next seven years, Hogwarts will be offering an optional 8th year for any student who wishes to fill the gap in their education that occurred last year due to…most unfortunate circumstances. The 8th years will have the option of re-taking any classes they missed and also be granted more traveling privileges than other students since they will be of age. However, the same rules and codes of conduct that govern all of us apply to them as well. I am pleased to announce that two of our 8th years this year have been selected as head boy and head girl. From Gryffindor, Miss Hermione Granger," there was a loud round of applause. "And from Slytherin, Mr. Blaise Zabini." There was a brief silence as people looked at him in confusion, but then slowly started clapping.

He offered them a small smile as thanks, but then quickly lowered his gaze to his lap in embarrassment.

"Good luck to all of you this year in your studies. Let the feast begin!" McGonagall waved her wand and the great hall was further illuminated by larger candles floating above the tables and endless amounts of food appeared on the table with a pop.

Blaise shook his head and attempted to rid himself of any further thoughts of Granger.


	3. Chapter 3: Nightmares

After Blaise and Hermione had assigned round duties to the prefects, he decided to read a book in the common room. Granger had already retired to her room without saying anything to him.

He curled up on one of the couches and turned on the fireplace. His thoughts soon drifted to Granger despite his efforts to think of anything else. Although he hadn't expected her to come back, he definitely wasn't surprised that she was chosen as head girl. If seventh year hadn't been so horrendously screwed up, she probably would have been selected anyway.

Even though they hadn't really spoken to each other, and she reminded him of what he lost, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. Clearly she was lonely at Hogwarts without Potter and Weasley and most other students couldn't relate to her anymore. He wondered what she must think of him. The only other interactions he had with her before the battle were in class and in the Slug Club briefly. They hadn't been unfriendly, but she hung around with the Golden Boy and he chose to hang around Draco.

He didn't exactly like Draco, but it was expected of him due to his blood status and place in Slytherin. While he didn't believe in all the blood superiority nonsense, he never did or said anything to contest or support it. He managed to appear perfectly neutral through the first six years, so his fellow Slytherins never bothered him and the other houses just assumed he was a blood purist. It was only at the end of the sixth year did Draco begin telling him about his duties and Voldemort. Blaise nodded at whatever Draco said, but knew more and more each day that the dark lord was a madman that needed to be stopped, it just wasn't going to be him that stopped him. But being around the world of the Dark Lord, despite being neutral, it forced him into the same war habits as everyone else. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, gripping his wand tightly, and living with the eternal fear that one day he would be forced to fight in a cause he didn't believe in simply because of his heritage.

Before he could even finish the first chapter of his book, the warmth of the fire and softness of the couch cushions eased him to sleep.

* * *

Hermione sat in her room at her desk with a piece of parchment and a quill in front of her.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Hogwarts looks incredible. You really should come and see it. You'd never believe most of it had been destroyed if you hadn't been there. You'll also never believe who they selected as head boy. Blaise Zabini! I suppose it's fitting. He was quite smart after all and nearly beat my top scores in our classes together._

 _He seems different than before, not that I really knew him before. The war has changed all of us, but I don't regret my decision to come back._

Suddenly, she heard what sounded like muffled sobs from the common room.

 _Hope to hear from you soon when you're not too busy._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

After finishing the letter she grabbed her wand and slowly opened the door, ready to face an intruder. Instead, she saw Blaise curled up on the couch, his body shaking. He was making quiet whimpering sounds.

Feeling ridiculous for immediately jumping back to her war habits, she pocketed her wand and approached his sleeping form. He was obviously having a nightmare. He looked quite sad the way he was, face scrunched up in pain and small beads of sweat running down his face. It was a picture she had grown accustomed to when she and the boys were on the run last year.

She knelt down beside the couch and lightly placed a hand on his arm. "Zabini," she whispered, shaking him lightly.

This seemed to make him shake even harder. "No! Please not my mother," he murmured, brows furrowing together.

"Zabini." She tried shaking him a little bit harder but he still wouldn't wake up. " _Blaise!_ " She said loudly this time, grasping both of his shoulders.

His eyes shot open as he woke with a shout. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, he had stood up and pointed his wand in between her eyes. He was breathing heavily and seemed like he was in a daze.

"It's alright," she said, gently pushing his wand away from her face and standing up. "You were having a nightmare."

He blinked a few times before pocketing his wand and rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, Granger. And sorry about the wand, old habits I guess."

"It's okay. The war reflexes never really leave you," she replied. "When I heard you I thought that there might have been an intruder."

"Well…thank you for waking me." He picked up his book and resumed his place in front of the fire.

She eyed the book for a few seconds and turned to go back into her room, but the bookworm in her soon took over. "What book is that?"

Blaise raised his eyebrows, surprised that she wanted to keep talking.

" _The Great Gatsby,_ have you heard of it?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to look surprised. "Yes of course. It's very famous in the muggle world. You're reading a muggle book?"

"Books are books," he said simply. "It doesn't matter who writes them, as long as they are good."

She smiled. "How true. Nice to see at least one Slytherin has some common sense about literature." Usually Slytherins would avoid anything remotely muggle.

"Well most of my housemates are pureblood snobs still, despite losing the war," he scoffed.

"And you're not a pureblood snob?" She thought back to all the times she had seen him hanging around with Malfoy.

"I never had any beliefs about blood status, Granger." He eyed her warily. "I stayed with my housemates until the end because I had attempted to remain neutral. Being neutral also doesn't mean I had to run around with you crazy Gryffindors."

"If I remember correctly, you turned into one of us crazy Gryffindors with your sudden attack on Bellatrix Lestrange."

Blaise frowned at the memory and turned away from her. "She killed my mother."

Hermione mentally slapped herself. How could she bring up something that would clearly bring back such painful memories for both of them, but more so him. "I'm sorry, Blaise. I didn't mean to-"

"I don't want to talk about it," he said curtly, not turning around.

She sighed and went back into her room.

* * *

Blaise stared intently at the words on the pages, but was unable to focus. The whole avoiding Granger tactic clearly wasn't going to work if she had to wake him up from nightmares every time he fell asleep in the common room. Nightmares had become a regular occurrence over the summer. He would have to see his mother die in front of him over and over again. He had taken so many dreamless sleep potions his body had become immune to them. It also wouldn't help him to be antisocial, but when it all came down to it he didn't have anyone. Maybe if he just befriended her everything would be easier.

Just because she reminded him of losing his mother shouldn't keep him from being able to interact with her. He probably had the same effect on her, especially since she had gone through even more violence during the war than he had. She had been out there on the front lines while he remained relatively safe at Hogwarts playing neutral like a coward.

He decided that he would apologize to her in the morning for his behavior. Suddenly, he remembered something from their conversation. She called him _Blaise_. Twice. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face as he realized how lovely his name sounded in her voice.

* * *

Hermione felt rather lousy as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling. What a fool she was. She had just isolated herself from the one person she had to talk to and work with for the rest of the year. Her arrival at Hogwarts hadn't been what she was expecting. The only people who seemed like they wanted to talk to her were Luna and Neville. Even though she didn't care much for Ron at the moment, she did miss the days when Harry and Ron were here with her. Maybe people really didn't like her as much as they let on and only tolerated her because of those two.

After all, if Harry hadn't come looking for her during first year, she probably wouldn't have any friends. She simply couldn't relate to the other students when she was younger, and could barely relate to them now. Her peers may admire her intellect and bravery, but when it came down to knowing her as a person, they weren't interested unless they needed help with homework.

Hermione thought back to when she had saved Blaise at the battle. She didn't even hesitate once she saw the green spell to quickly use a pulling spell to move him out of the way. He had passed out from the pain of his wounds before looking at her, so he probably didn't even know it had been her. Something about that moment though made her think of him differently. He had chosen to fight one of the craziest death eaters in existence. He had been brave, a quality that not many people in Slytherin often embodied.

During dinner she had watched Blaise sit in silence with Malfoy, another face she hadn't been expecting to see. However, he was uncharacteristically quiet and pretended like he didn't notice her. She also noticed the subtle glares the other Slytherins shot at Blaise when they thought he wasn't looking. Maybe people in Gryffindor had done the same to her.

Blaise was clearly uncomfortable with being recognized as head boy the same way she felt when people applauded for her. If anything, he seemed as lost and unwanted in his own house as she felt with the rest of her old friends.

Perhaps it would be best to try to befriend him, or at least try to be friendly with him so that working together wouldn't be awkward.

She decided that she would apologize to him in the morning for her behavior. Content with her resolution, she drifted to sleep plagued by her own nightmares.


	4. Chapter 4: Invitations

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'd like to warn you that since this is my first fic ever, there are going to be some changes to both the story description and plot very soon. I'm kind of coming up with this as we go, so if you see something different in the description don't be too surprised. Also, I'm trying to come up with a better name for the story, so if you have any suggestions please let me know. Thank you again for sticking with me this far. All reviews, favorites, and follows are much appreciated.**

* * *

Hermione went out to the common room and was surprised to find Blaise there waiting for her.

"Morning," she said groggily, still tired from her restless sleep. She noted that he looked tired as well, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Granger," he began with a sigh. "I need to apologize for how I reacted last night. When you brought up the final battle it drudged up bad memories." He ran a hand through his curly hair and turned towards the window.

"It's alright, Blaise. I was going to apologize as well. I should have known better to bring it up. I wanted to take it back as soon as I said it."

He turned back to face her with a small smile. "So we're all good then?"

"Yes, we're good. Look, I know that we were never really friends over the years. Actually, we hardly talked. But I just thought that since we're going to be working together a lot this year, we could put house rivalries and previous opinions aside? After all we're supposed to be promoting house unity," she said nervously.

To her surprise, he relaxed and smiled even wider. "I was going to suggest the same thing. What better way to promote unity than have a Gryffindor and a Slytherin working together and being amicable? I bet McGonagall had that planned from the beginning."

"Yes, I suppose she did," she laughed. "Shall we go down to breakfast?"

"Lead the way, Granger."

"Hermione," she corrected.

"Whatever you say, _Hermione_ ," he said with a smirk, putting extra emphasis on her name. Hermione smiled at him, feeling lighter than she had in months.

* * *

A few weeks passed and Blaise and Hermione had settled into a comfortable routine. They would walk to breakfast together in the mornings and go their separate ways until they had advanced potions together in the afternoon. They sat with each other and partnered whenever necessary.

In the evenings they would meet with the prefects immediately after dinner to check for any updates and review any changes in house points for behavioral issues. When they came back from their patrols they would sit in the common room with the fireplace on, reading or doing homework. Blaise would often fall asleep, only to be woken by Hermione as he had nightmares. They never talked about the nightmares. They didn't need to.

Much to Hermione's disappointment, Harry still hadn't written her back. She understood though, he was busy. Auror training was one of the most intense programs a young wizard could get into, and he had told her before she left that he might not always have time to write. Perhaps she was being silly for being a little bit upset, but she really couldn't help it. After everything they had been through together one would think he could take fifteen minutes and write her at least a brief note. She was lonelier than she cared to admit, even with her newfound friendship with Blaise.

Blaise had been a great help to her as a friend. He was intelligent and empathetic, something which she had never really found in Harry or Ron. Harry had always been smart, but he was always blinded by his magical talent and luck. And Ron…well he was Ron. She found that Blaise was someone she could talk to about almost anything. It also helped that he was in pretty much the same situation that she was, outcast by his housemates, never really fitting in and keeping to himself.

Now, the two of them sat in the common room. Hermione was at the desk area scribbling furiously and surrounded by books. Blaise was lounging on one of the couches flipping through a quidditch magazine.

Hermione ran her hair through her messy curls frustrated at her essay.

"That bad?" Blaise smirked from the couch. She got up from the desk and plopped down on the couch across from him.

"I've been rewriting my last paragraph for our potions essay and I still can't get it right," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Relax. You still have another two weeks before it's even due." She glowered at him in response. Blaise was a very good student, but he was the type that would do his work a day or two before it was due and still get good marks. That frustrated her beyond belief.

"Easy for you to say. You do yours at the last minute and still do well."

There was a knock at the door and Blaise walked over to answer it. Professor Slughorn stood before them with a warm smile.

"Ah my two prize pupils! How are we this evening? I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Hello, Professor Slughorn. How can we help you?" Hermione greeted him from the desk. Blaise invited him in and the three of them sat on the couches together.

"I've decided to reinstate the Slug Club this year," he said enthusiastically. "And I was hoping very much that you two would join me."

"Of course we would, professor." Blaise said looking at Hermione for approval. She nodded in response.

"Absolutely. Will there be a welcome party as before?" Blaise asked. Slughorn grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! It will be this weekend at 7. I should go invite the others. I'll see you two at the party," he said cheerfully and left the room, humming to himself as he went.

"Who else do you think Slughorn is inviting to his little club this year?" Blaise snickered.

Hermione glowered at home. "The Slug Club is a well-respected tradition of his and an honor to be a part of. Weren't you in it at one point?"

"Yeah but I must admit I thought it was a little silly. Plus the party was kind of stuffy."

"I can't argue with you on that," she conceded, remembering her disastrous night hiding from Cormac McLaggen. "I bet he's inviting the other Ravenclaws that are in our potions class. They're quiet but they always seem to make the potions correctly and quickly." There were three Ravenclaw students in their class, two boys and a girl. The boys would always sit together but the girl would often sit with a Hufflepuff boy.

"He might invite Draco," Blaise said thoughtfully, remembering catching a glimpse of Draco's scores.

"Professor Slughorn doesn't associate with death eaters," Hermione said firmly.

"Draco wasn't a death eater by choice, Hermione. And from what I've observed he's actually third in the class after you and me."

"Really?" Hermione was surprised. Over the last few weeks Malfoy hadn't said a single word to her and barely spoke to Blaise at meals. She would often catch him staring blankly out the window in class and not even taking notes.

"Draco has always been like that. He may not seem like he's paying attention but he normally does all the reading before class. I see in the library every time I go."

"So have I now that I think about it." Hermione spread out on her couch, draping her legs over the arm rest and looked at Blaise. "Why do you still hang around Malfoy anyway? I thought you didn't like him."

"He's my house mate. And if you haven't noticed none of my other house mates seem very fond of me so far," Blaise said with a frown.

"I know the feeling. Everyone in Gryffindor thinks they're too good to talk to me…maybe they're right," she chuckled sadly. "So much for Gryffindor loyalty."

Blaise lowered his eyes and didn't say anything for a few minutes. Perhaps she had steered the conversation wrong. This was the most they had talked to each other in a while. Maybe he was growing tired of her as well just like everyone else.

Suddenly Hermione felt depressed. She had been hoping that Blaise would say something that would counter her last two statements, anything to prove that there wasn't anything wrong with her. She wanted someone to tell her why she wasn't good enough for Gryffindor anymore.

All of the little insecurities that she had carried with her since their first conversation on the train came rushing back to her in giant waves.

"Well, I really should get some rest. Goodnight," she said quickly and practically ran back to her room.

* * *

Blaise sat in the common room wrapped up in his own thoughts. His admission of no one in his house liking him had brought back all the feelings he had been keeping bottled up back into the forefront of his mind.

It wasn't as if he needed to be liked by other people in Slytherin. But he had always been accepted at least. Even Draco barely talked to him.

He probably should have responded when Hermione had commented that no one liked her. Realizing that now, he knew he made a mistake by being silent. He had simply been distracted at the moment by what he had said earlier.

He knocked on her door lightly.

"Hermione? Are you awake?"

"What is it?" She called from the other side of the door.

"I need to talk to you. I think you misunderstood my silence earlier."

"I don't feel like talking anymore."

" _Please_ ," he begged. He wasn't about to lose the one person he had that seemed to care about him in the slightest.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, knees to her chest and had used wandless magic to open the door.

He walked into her room slowly and sat next to her. "It's the other way around you know."

"What is?" She asked.

"You said they think they're too good to talk to you. You're too good to talk to them. And honestly, why bother wasting time on people who have known you for years and suddenly cast you out for no reason?"

"You think I'm better than them?"

"It's not about being better. It's about kindness." She gave this a moment of thought.

"You're right. I'm being silly," she conceded, chuckling at her own dramatics. "It's just…ever since I got back here I've felt left out. You're the only person who talks to me. Neville and Luna were once my close friends, and now they only talk to each other."

"They talked to you yesterday at breakfast. You sit with them at most meals," Blaise pointed out.

"They do it to be polite."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I know them," she insisted. Blaise didn't offer anything so they sat in silence for a few moments.

"I never wanted to be in Slytherin," Blaise said out of nowhere. Hermione turned to look at him, silently urging him to continue. "I really wanted to be in Ravenclaw. But my mother was in Slytherin, so I asked the hat to put me there to make her happy."

"I think I would have liked being in Ravenclaw as well," she confessed. "Being around people who actually value studying and education would be a nice change."

"Well," he said, smiling at her. "You have me."

Hermione chuckled but smiled back at him. "Yes, the unconventional Slytherin."

The two of them both laughed lightly, feeling as if another weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

* * *

Draco was flying in circles around the empty quidditch pitch at night. He hadn't bothered to sign up for the Slytherin team, but riding a broom again felt nice. It made him feel something which he desperately craved ever since the Dark Lord had taken over his home the previous year: control. He closed his eyes as a cool breeze blew past, ruffling his platinum blond hair.

"Malfoy." Draco slowly opened his eyes and looked down to see Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson standing below him. He flew down but didn't get off his broom and eyed them suspiciously.

"What?"

"Didn't think you'd show you face at Hogwarts again after what happened. You know, with your family running like cowards from Voldemort," Theo sneered.

"What do you want, Nott?" Draco asked coldly. Something about this situation seemed off to him.

"Come now, Draco. Play nice," Pansy crooned sweetly. He cringed at her squeaky voice, remembering all the times she had tried to seduce him over the years.

"It's not about what _we_ want. It's about what our fathers want. You see, I had a visit with my father at Azkaban last week. There are plans, Malfoy. Big plans."

"I don't want to be part of them," Draco said firmly. "Go bother someone else with your conspiracies."

Theodore narrowed his eyes into slits that almost rivaled Voldemort's before taking a breath. "You don't have a choice," he hissed. Pansy cast a silencing charm around them and for a moment Draco thought they might kill him. Instead, Pansy put her hand on Theodore's shoulder holding him back slightly.

"Your father and Theo's are planning on escaping and they need our help." Pansy looked rather smug as she stared at Draco expectantly. He blinked at her.

"I have no interest in breaking your father out of jail. And even if they did get out, where are they going to go?"

"All in due time, Malfoy. For now, their instructions are for us to gather the necessary ingredients for a powerful potion that will aid them in their escape. Most of the ingredients can be found around Hogwarts," Theo replied evenly.

"What if I refuse?"

Now Theodore grinned and pulled out his wand and a small mirror. He muttered an incantation and showed it to Draco. To his horror, he saw his mother chained against a wall in a dark room.

"I trust we have your cooperation?"

Gritting his teeth, Draco nodded. "Don't harm her," he pleaded.

"That's entirely up to you, Malfoy."

"What does this potion do if I may ask?"

"It's incredibly hard to brew, but with access to the potions room and the right timing, the potion will repel dementors by making whoever drinks it completely undetectable to them."

Draco frowned. He had never heard of such a potion. "But dementors can be repelled with a patronus."

"If you want to alert the other dementors and the guards to your presence then by all means go ahead and try it. Don't be daft. This potion's effects last far longer than a patronus charm and will make them not want to be near you, not run form you screaming. This is going to be a stealth mission."

Draco's mind was racing. It was like his task during 6th year all over again.

"You need some time to process all of this," Pansy said. "Let's go." She grabbed hold of Theo's arm and the two apparated away, leaving Draco alone once more.

 _I never have a choice_ , Draco thought bitterly


	5. Chapter 5: Hero

Blaise was sitting across from Draco at breakfast as usual, both silent. He glanced at Draco and noticed that he looked a bit tense. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, a stark contrast against his pale skin and his hair wasn't combed back like it normally was.

"Everything alright, Draco?" He asked. Draco didn't look up at him or say anything. Blaise wasn't sure if Draco had heard him, or maybe he was just ignoring him. Either way, he was mildly concerned.

"Draco?" He tried again. This time, Draco's head shot up.

"For the love of Merlin! What do you want, Zabini?" Draco snapped. Blaise leaned a little bit in shock at his outburst. This was the first sign of emotion he had seen out of the boy since they got back to Hogwarts. Perhaps he was finally returning to his usual self?

"You're certainly in a mood this morning," he said wryly. Draco glared at him in response before turning his attention back to his food. From the corner of his eye, Blaise caught a glimpse of Theo and Pansy staring warningly at Draco before looking away.

 _Suspicious,_ Blaise thought. But he shouldn't jump to conclusions. Nobody in Slytherin really liked him or Draco and any look of hatred or disdain was an expression he had simply gotten used to. However, most of their housemates directed their disgust towards him, not the young Malfoy.

Before he could contemplate it any further, Draco shoved his plate away and stormed out of the great hall. He decided that he would confront Draco about whatever that was later.

* * *

Hermione sat quietly with Neville and Luna and listened to them chat finding Nargles. Even though she thought Luna came up with the craziest of things, she couldn't help but smile as she watched Neville listening to her every word. Ever since the final battle, there was an unspoken attraction growing between the two. She remembered how Neville had confessed how he felt about her before running off to the great hall, and how she caught a glimpse of them sitting quite close together afterward.

Once she finished eating, she decided to go for a walk around the grounds. As she walked through the corridors, her thoughts drifted to the other students.

Things at Hogwarts had changed. Although most Slytherins kept to themselves as usual, inter-house socialization had become more of a norm. It was common to see pairings of different houses in classes, not by the teacher, but by the students themselves. She hadn't dared to sit with Blaise at the Slytherin table in the great hall, and he hadn't ventured over to the Gryffindor side, but other students had. It was mostly the younger students who mingled shamelessly. Last week she caught an entire group of third year Ravenclaw girls laughing and having a picnic by the lake with some younger Gryffindor boys and a Slytherin girl.

Despite this overwhelming positive social change, there were still those who silently held onto old prejudices. It was mostly Slytherins, but she didn't blame them too much anymore. They had been force-fed all the ridiculous information about muggles from their parents, and the war had only reinforced those beliefs. McGonagall was not pleased with the Slytherin's lack of acceptance, but understood that it would take time. McGonagall had also noted that her public friendship with Blaise had most likely encouraged other students to form bonds with different houses. This time it wasn't just about the head boy and head girl being from rival houses, as it was not the first time it had happened. Rather, it was the significance of two people from seemingly opposite ends of the war coming together, even though Blaise had technically been neutral.

Suddenly, she found herself smacking into someone else hard.

"Ow…" a younger boy cried as he fell to the ground.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She asked, helping him to his feet. He looked like he was a first year in Slytherin. He had light brown hair and light blue eyes.

"I think I'm okay," he said, dusting his robes off and then looking up at her. "You're Hermione Granger!" He exclaimed excitedly. Then he held his head in shame. "Oh Merlin! I've run into Hermione Granger. I'm sorry!"

"Really, it's okay. It was my fault anyway," she replied softly, but clearly confused. "You know who I am?"

"Yes of course! You're my hero!"

"Hero? But…you're in Slytherin," she added lamely. A Slytherin calling her a hero, this was a first.

"During the battle you saved my brother, Thomas. He told me all about it. You're a hero to me!"

Hermione thought back to the battle. She vaguely remembered stupefying a death eater advancing on a 5th year Gryffindor before running to the Room of Requirement.

"I think I remember. He was in Gryffindor wasn't he?"

"Yup! He doesn't go here anymore though. He and father went to America and I stayed here with my mom."

"What does he think of you being in Slytherin?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

The boy puffed out his chest. "He says that I should embrace my house, that a lot of great wizards came from it and I would be one them." She smiled down at him. He was adorable.

"I don't think I got your name yet."

"I'm Andrew. You can call me Andy," he stuck his small hand out and she shook it gently.

"Hermione. But you already knew that."

"Yeah, I-" before he could finish McGonagall was walking towards her with Blaise.

"Miss Granger, sorry to interrupt, but may I have a short meeting with you and Mr. Zabini?"

"Absolutely." She turned back to Andy. "I'll see you later, Andy." He gave her a wide grin and continued on his way down the hall.

"We must discuss the plans for the winter ball. I'd like for you and Mr. Zabini to come up with a list of suggestions for music, decorations, and theme."

Blaise stood thoughtfully, with a hand on his chin. "I don't know. Everyone seemed to like the Yule Ball. Maybe we should just do the same thing."

"I agree," Hermione said. "Plus the theme was winter anyway. If you really want to push the unity theme as well you could hold a contest or something for best dressed couple from different houses?"

"I like that idea, Hermione. I'll leave the two of you decide that judging criteria. Also I'd like you to coordinate with the house elves for food and decorations. I will handle the rest." McGonagall nodded and left them alone in the hallway.

"What was that about?" Blaise asked, motioning in the direction Andy went.

"I accidentally bumped into him. Apparently I'm his hero," Hermione explained.

"Hero?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I could have sworn his robes were Slytherin green."

"That's what I thought too at first. He said I saved his brother during the Hogwarts battle."

"You saved a lot of people that day," Blaise murmured.

"Yes, but it's just so odd coming from a Slytherin," she said. "Oh listen to me. Here we're supposed to be moving past house prejudices and I'm spouting things like that."

"Like McGonagall said, it will take time. I'd say the students have come a long way over the last few weeks though." Blaise suddenly spotted Draco down by the lake with his wand out. "I have something to take care of. See you later?" She nodded and he made his way down to the lake.

* * *

Draco was angrily levitating rocks and throwing them into the lake violently.

"What did those poor rocks do to deserve such treatment?" Blaise asked teasingly as he approached.

Draco whipped his head around and for a moment look afraid. Then his face turned back into its usual blank stare.

"Leave me alone, Zabini. Don't you have important head business to attend to?" Draco said calmly, chucking another stone into the lake.

"Probably. But I'm more interested in what the whole commotion was back at breakfast." Blaise bent down to throw a flat rock into the lake. It skipped three times before sinking to the bottom.

"Didn't sleep well," he replied, looking at his feet and putting his wand away.

"Nightmares?" Blaise asked, turning to look at him.

"Something like that," Draco mumbled.

"I have them too. Every night," Blaise confessed. It was the first time he had told anyone else that other than Hermione. It felt nice to let someone else in.

Draco sat down next to him, bringing his knees to his chest and hugging them close. "What do you see?"

Blaise took a breath before answering. "My mother dying in front of me. You?"

"Lots of different things…sometimes I see Granger being tortured in front of me most of the time," he said sounding pained. "Voldemort torturing my parents, muggleborns being brought into my house to be raped and then killed in the most violent ways imaginable." His voice was barely a whisper now. "They never stop."

Blaise sat next to him in shock. He didn't know that Hermione had been tortured in front of Draco. She never mentioned it to him before. Then again, they never really talked about her darker experiences during the war. The thought of Hermione being tortured, or brought in to be raped sent a surge of anger through him.

"Have you tried taking dreamless sleep potion?" Blaise said, trying to control his emotions.

"The ministry let me go free, but on several conditions. I had to return to finish my education. I can't take any potions whatsoever, and if I do they will know about it. I can't apparate outside the school grounds. It's almost like I'm on probation," Draco said with a hint of bitterness.

A cool breeze blew across the lake and Blaise closed his eyes, appreciating the rush of fresh air. It was almost funny, sitting with Draco Malfoy as if they were friends discussing their latest unsolvable problems.

"She was tortured?"

Draco turned to look at him. "Who?"

"Hermione. Granger," he added, as if any clarification was needed. He noticed Draco make an uncomfortable expression with the casual use of her first name.

"At the manor. Bellatrix threw many crucio's at her during an interrogation and cut her badly. I had to watch."

Blaise felt nothing but horror, trying to picture anything except Hermione being tortured. "Where?"

"Her arm. Bellatrix carved the world 'mudblood' into her. The blade was cursed too, so the scar will never fade," he said looking guilty.

Blaise frowned at the use of the word. "Do you…still feel the same way about muggles?" He almost didn't want to know.

Draco looked back at the lake and pushed a stray hair out of his face. "Would it make any difference now?"

"No. I suppose not," he replied, pushing himself up off the ground and putting his hands in his pockets again. "If you need to talk to someone about the nightmares…I'm here." He wasn't quite sure why he offered. He and Draco weren't friends, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Much to his surprise, Draco nodded slightly. "Yeah, that might be nice." Blaise turned to walk away, but Draco called out to him.

"Blaise." He turned around and lifted an eyebrow. "Thanks." Blaise gave him a small smile and walked back to the castle.

* * *

 _She was laying on the ground in front of him screaming in agony as the cruciatius curse surged through her body. Bellatrix cackled madly above her, savoring every scream and every tear._

 _Blaise could only watch as he fought desperately against the body binds._

 _"Blaise!" She cried through the pain. "Please!" She begged. She needed him to save her, and all he could do was stand there in misery._

 _"Stupid, filthy little mudblood!" Bellatrix yelled at Hermione and took out a knife._

 _"BLAISE!" She yelled louder. Suddenly the hallway began spinning and collapsing around him._

"Wake up!" Hermione yelled, shaking him with all her might.

Slowly, Blaise woke and sat up slowly. He had never had that dream about anyone except his mother before. He couldn't help but remember how horrible the picture of Hermione being killed in the same way felt. Ever since Draco had shared with him that Hermione had been viciously tortured too his nightmares started to shift from his mother being tortured to her. He couldn't help but notice how she always wore long sleeves, even to bed. That's why he had never seen her scar.

"Another nightmare?" She asked, soothingly rubbing her hand in small circles on his back. He simply nodded, at a loss for words. "Was it the same one?"

"Sort of…" He wasn't sure if he should tell her that he dreamt about her.

"I have them too."

"You do?" Yet another person confessing their nightmares to him. It was oddly reassuring to know he wasn't the only one.

"Yes, but I normally don't have a bad habit of falling asleep in the common room," she teased.

"Do you take anything for them? Dreamless sleep potion?"

"I used to. It doesn't work on me anymore," she said sadly. "I guess we'll both be forever haunted by nightmares of the war."

"It's not fair. I barely did anything during the war and yet I have the same amount of nightmares you do."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a hero, Hermione. You, Potter, Weasley. I was neutral like a scared little boy, never standing up to the death eaters and never standing up for those that needed help."

"We all have things that we wish we had or hadn't done during the war." Hermione stood up and walked over to the window. "What matters to me is that you never joined the Voldemort. And in the end, despite the circumstances, you stood up to one of his strongest soldiers."

Blaise stared at her in shock. How could she be so forgiving? He had lived in shame and guilt all summer by his lack of involvement with the Order of the Phoenix and even with the students at Hogwarts during the battle. He had _hidden_ while innocent people were being murdered right in front of him.

"So did your mother," she added.

"My mother?"

"I saw her fighting some death eaters when she came to get you."

Yet another thing for Blaise to feel guilty about. His mother wasn't trained to fight. When she grew up it was considered inappropriate for female wizards to learn offensive combat skills.

"I don't tell you this to make you feel bad, Blaise." Hermione turned back to look at him. "I'm telling you this because it's never too late to be brave." She gathered her things from the table and began to walk back to her room. "Just think about that, okay?"

He nodded in response and watched as she closed the door.

* * *

Draco was not happy. Then again, he hadn't felt happiness in a long time. The closest he had gotten to feeling relatively normal was yesterday talking with Blaise at the lake. Hiding in a stuffy broom closet waiting for Professor Slughorn to leave his office with Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson was not the ideal way to spend his evening.

"We've been here for a half hour. How much longer is this buffoon going to be in there?" Theo whispered angrily.

Pansy peered out of the keyhole at Slughorn as he finally began to stuff his papers into his bag. "He's leaving now! Be quiet you idiots or he'll hear us," she hissed. They waited until the office door clicked shut before stumbling out.

"The first ingredient we need is called Moonflower leaves, a weed grown specifically here at Hogwarts by Hagrid. He gives Slughorn a fresh batch every Monday night for his potions research."

"What does it do?"

"How should I know? All I know is that you only get it here," Theo shrugged. "Look around. It should be a dark blue plant."

Draco scanned the shelves until he located a small batch of dark blue leaves by the window. "There," he pointed.

Pansy accio'd the leaves and put them in her pocket. "Let's go." They apparated back to the Slytherin tower.

"Okay. I've done what you asked and accompanied you tonight. You promised I could talk to my mother," Draco demanded. Ever since they had shown her in the mirror, he could barely eat or sleep. His father was in jail. He couldn't lose his mother too.

Theo rolled his eyes and handed him the mirror. A faint image of his mother still in chains came into view.

"Mother?" Draco asked fearfully. She lifted her head slightly and looked around but didn't say anything. "Why can't she hear me?"

"The mirror doesn't work like that, Draco," Pansy said. "Theo said you could talk to her. He didn't say anything about her talking back." She snapped her fingers and the mirror went back into Theo's pocket.

"So, same time next week?" Theo said with a smirk. Draco wanted to smack the smug look right off his face, but instead he balled his hands at his sides and nodded.


	6. Chapter 6: The Slug Club Party

Hermione gave an aggravated huff as she tried to bobby pin some of her loose curls back from her face. She didn't normally go through the effort, but since tonight was the Slug Club party she thought it would be appropriate.

She wore a dark red dress with a V-neck that showed just enough cleavage to be suggestive but modest enough to still have an elegant look. It fell just above her knees. Instead of the annoying heels she had worn during 6th year, she opted for a pair of lacy black flats. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders in soft waves, a look that took an hour to fully charm her hair in such a way.

For makeup, she wore a light blush and only a little bit of mascara. She had never been one to wear makeup. The Yule Ball had been an exception since she had girl friends to do it for her.

Over the past week she had observed Blaise and Malfoy getting closer and she didn't quite know how to feel about it. She wasn't exactly thrilled, since Malfoy had been the one to torment her all throughout their schooling. He had also been one of the witnesses during her torture session with Bellatrix. _Oh right, the scar_. She had almost forgotten. Frowning, she stuck out her arm and cast the strongest glamour charm she knew. It concealed the scar temporarily, with only the faintest hint of lettering if one looked closely enough. She didn't blame Malfoy for not intervening, but that didn't mean she disliked him any less.

Despite her feelings about Malfoy, Blaise seemed to be happier having another companion. In the mornings the two of them talked together over meals about quidditch or current events. Blaise admitted that he felt less lonely now that he had someone else to chat with. The glares at Blaise had lessened significantly and things in Slytherin seemed to be balancing out again with their friendship. When she asked him if he considered Malfoy his friend, he just shrugged and said "that's not really how it works in Slytherin."

There was a light knock on her door. "Hermione, are you ready to go?" Blaise called to her.

"I'll be out in just a minute!"

They hadn't talked about going to the party together or anything. She just assumed that they would go together and he hadn't said or done anything to contradict that belief. And indeed, there he was at her door.

After sticking the final bobby pin in place, she put her wand in the leg holster just underneath her dress, grabbed a small purse, and walked over to open the door.

Blaise was wearing a simple black suit with a white dress shirt and dark green tie that really brought out the green color of his eyes hanging untied around his neck. Behind the tie was his mother's trademark silver pendant. She gave him an appreciative look over, but then blushed after realizing she had been staring. She had to admit, he looked good. In fact, Blaise Zabini was very handsome. She had never really noticed it until now, but she did notice younger girls staring dreamily at him as they walked in the hallways sometimes.

"Er, can you give me a hand with this?" He asked, grinning sheepishly as he motioned at his tie. "I don't know the charm for ties. Usually one of my housemates would do it for me," he explained.

Rather than using magic, Hermione reached out and fixed his tie with her hands, noticing their huge height difference for the first time. Blaise was about 6'1 while she was only a mere 5'2. He tensed up at first, but soon relaxed under her touch.

"You look nice," he murmured shyly.

"Thanks," she blushed. "So do you." After smoothing out the tie, trying to ignore the heat rushing to her face at the feel of his chest, she stepped back. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

Blaise couldn't help but stare. Hermione looked beautiful. He had always thought she was pretty, especially after seeing her at the Yule Ball during 4th year. Like many other Slytherins, he noted that over the years she easily grew out of her "bucktooth" stage and into a gorgeous young woman. Even during the war, at the final battle she possessed a fierce and rugged look.

He had almost groaned when she smoothed out his tie. _Wait, inappropriate_. He tried to keep his thoughts under control as they entered the Slug Club's private room. Rather than the dim lighting and creamy curtains that Slughorn used during 6th year, the room was well lit with lanterns floating around the room. The color theme was a mix of all the four house colors, which somehow complemented each other in the places he had put them.

Professor Slughorn greeted them cheerfully and brought them glasses of sparkling cider.

"I'm so glad you two could make it!"

"We are too, professor. It's an honor to be here," Hermione beamed at him and took a sip of her drink and began chatting with Slughorn. Blaise looked around at who else was there.

Sitting around the large table in the center he saw Astoria Greengrass, Terrence Higgs, and a 5th year Slytherin boy he didn't know. Astoria and Terrence were some of the Slytherins that didn't give him glares every time he walked by. At the other end of the table was Hannah Abott and another girl from Ravenclaw that he didn't know either. By the food table he saw Ginny Weasley, Dean Thomas, and Susan Bones. In the corner by the window he saw a familiar figure with blonde hair with his usual blank stare. Draco.

"I told you he'd invite Draco," he whispered smugly to Hermione after Slughorn left them to go mingle with others. She pursed her lips and shrugged.

"I guess you were right." They made their way to the food table and gathered small plates with a bit of everything that was there.

"Hermione," a feminine voice greeted. He noticed how she tensed up as she recognized the voice. The Weasley girl made her way over to them with a small envelope in her hands.

"Hello, Ginny," she replied stiffly. "I didn't know you liked potions so much."

Ginny reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. "I don't really. I guess I just do better than the rest of my class," she explained and held out the letter. "Ron wanted me to give you this."

Hermione flinched at his name. "Why didn't he send it himself then?"

"You know why," Ginny said, slightly narrowing her eyes. Blaise noted the uncomfortable exchange between the two of them. What was going on here? He knew the Weasley girl and Hermione didn't talk anymore but he didn't know they didn't like each other. He was also confused at why Hermione would be so averse to receiving a letter from Weasley. Weren't they together at one point? Merlin, the whole school was aware they were infatuated with each other over the years. He was suddenly surprised at the rush of jealousy he was experiencing.

Hermione tentatively reached out and took the envelope. Ginny walked back to Dean without another word. She stuffed the letter into her small purse, hands shaking slightly.

"Everything alright?" He asked. She nodded distractedly, not looking at him. He frowned but decided he would ask again later. "I'm going to talk to Draco. Do you want to come?"

Her eyes widened for a moment before she gulped. She definitely didn't want to be by herself. "Yeah, ok."

They made their way over to the window. Draco turned to look at them.

"Blaise. Granger."

Blaise grinned at him. "I didn't know you had received an invitation, Draco."

"Yeah, neither did I. Must have been a last minute thing. I found the invitation on my bed this morning," he explained. His eyes darted to Hermione's arm and then quickly away. "How are you, Granger? It's been a while."

"Fine, Malfoy." She replied politely. "It's…good to see another familiar face."

To their surprise, Draco gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I suppose it is."

Blaise watched in amusement as the two former rivals talked almost pleasantly for the first time in years.

* * *

Hermione was utterly floored by Draco's change in demeanor towards her. There was no hint of malice or arrogance in his eyes anymore. In fact, he simply looked at her like a normal human being for a change. Although she had noticed his gaze dart to her scar for a moment. But maybe Blaise was right. Maybe Malfoy _had_ changed. Or maybe he simple didn't have the motivation to hate her anymore. Either way, she couldn't help but feel like something was off about him.

The three of them casually talked about classes for a few minutes until Professor Slughorn gathered everyone around the table.

"Thank you all for joining. It really warms my heart to see such bright students taking full advantage of all education has to offer in the finest of academic subjects, potions!" She saw the two Slytherins at the end of the table roll their eyes at this.

As Slughorn talked endlessly, her thoughts drifted back to the envelope Ginny had given her. She hadn't quite been expecting the girl's coldness towards her. She thought that they had simply drifted apart. She didn't know that Ginny was upset with her, or at least that's what it seemed like.

The thought of reading anything from Ron made her want to vomit, and the thought of all the other Weasleys made her incredibly depressed.

The evening had otherwise been surprisingly nice. She wasn't normally one for lavish parties, but being with Blaise made it bearable. Even Malfoy had added some entertainment. Thinking about the letter made her nervous. As soon as Slughorn finished speaking and people went back to their groups, she quietly dismissed herself while Blaise and Malfoy continued talking and went into the hallway.

Taking a few deep breaths, she opened the envelope and took out the letter.

 _Hermione,_

 _I've been thinking a lot about us and what happened. I have a lot to say, but I would rather tell you in person. I asked Ginny to give you this because I was afraid you wouldn't accept it if I sent it myself. Let me know when a good time to meet would be._

 _Ron_

She almost laughed at his lack of tact. It wasn't even an apology. There was no hint of remorse or regret written anywhere in there. She especially loved the part where he just blindly assumed she would want to see him again.

Perhaps she was being a bit too harsh. Maybe one of the many things he had to say was an apology?

She heard footsteps behind her as Blaise came to stand by her side.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "Party too stuffy for you?"

She smiled weakly. "That and other things."

"Weasley?" She nodded.

"What happened between you and Weasley, Hermione?" He asked, completely serious now. She looked worriedly at the door to the party and pulled him over to the balcony that was at the end of the hall.

"I don't want Ginny to overhear if she comes out," she explained.

Now Blaise was beginning to get worried. Whatever happened between them must have been pretty bad.

"Ron changed a lot over the summer. I don't know if you know this but his brother, Fred, was killed at the battle. It ruined him and his family," she began. "Ron…his depression manifested itself into a drinking problem. And when he drinks he gets angry." Hermione looked down at her feet.

She could sense his realization as he sharply took a breath. "Weasley forced himself on you?" He asked angrily. When she nodded in confirmation it only enraged him further. "Did he rape you?"

"No. I stopped him before it got that far. That's when I left. Shortly after I came to Hogwarts and here we are now," she gestured around them.

It felt good to tell someone else her secret. Blaise was slowly becoming her confidant, privy to things that she never talked about with anyone except Harry.

"Where was Potter during all of this?" Blaise asked. He narrowed his eyes. "Where is he now?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. "I stayed with him before I came here. I don't know where he is now since he hasn't responded to any of my letters, but he's busy with auror training. I don't expect him to have time to write me every day or anything…"

"I'm sorry about them, Hermione. If the Weasel were here I'd curse the asshole," he said earnestly.

"He wants to talk to me. He says he has things to say about what happened," she said, showing him the letter. He scanned it quickly and swore under his breath.

"He can't be serious. You're not going to talk to him are you?" He asked in disbelief. When she didn't say anything he folded the letter back up angrily.

"I know it looks bad. But he was my best friend for 7 years, Blaise. I can't just ignore all of that just because he made a mistake…I don't know if I'll meet with him anytime soon."

"Hermione. Weasley was the one who's made you miserable all throughout Hogwarts. Draco contributed, but when it counted, Weasley wasn't there for you right? Not during 4th year and certainly not during 6th."

Hermione blinked at him. "I wasn't aware that you knew about those things. You've been paying that much attention to me?"

"Let me go with you," he said ignoring her question. "I don't want you to face him alone." The expression showed that it wasn't really up for debate. She had to admit that she was grateful for his protectiveness. Normally if Harry acted that way towards her she would be hugely annoyed. Coming from Blaise though, it seemed…sweet?

"I promise," she nodded. She didn't know exactly what pushed her to do it, but with a sudden rush of courage, she leaped forward and embraced him. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her face in his chest as his arms wrapped around her back and waist. "Thank you, Blaise."


	7. Chapter 7: A Bold Move

Blaise and Hermione didn't go back to the party after they embraced. Instead, they went back to their dorm, agreeing that the party wasn't quite the atmosphere for them, and went about with their usual routine of reading by the fire.

Things had shifted between them. As the weeks passed, they opened up to each other even more than before. Hermione had decided that Blaise knew almost as much about her as Harry did. Somehow, Blaise Zabini had managed to fill the void that Harry and Ron had left in her heart. It was an unlikely pairing. If someone had told her years ago that she would be best friends with Blaise, she would have laughed at them. Yes, she did regard him as her best friend and had told him as much. He replied that he had the same sentiment.

Despite this, she still missed Harry and was actually hurt that he hadn't written her back. After everything they had been through and he couldn't even be bothered to write a short letter...

She hadn't written Ron back yet either. It was too soon to confront him, even with Blaise. It was very comforting to know that he was willing to go with her when it was time.

Today Hermione decided to do something bold: she was going to sit at the Slytherin table. Luna and Neville had become a couple the previous week, and they were of course obsessing over each other. Although they made polite chit chat with her during means, she couldn't help but feel like an unwanted third wheel. Other than them, she didn't have anyone to talk to in Gryffindor on a regular basis. Besides, this is what McGonagall wanted anyway.

Blaise had already gone down to breakfast before her, so she slowly tried to calm her nerves as she entered the great hall. She spared a glance at the Gryffindor table to see that nothing had changed. Ginny was still sitting with Dean, and Luna and Neville and Luna were sitting huddled together, Luna's head resting on his shoulder. The rest of the Gryffindor students didn't even glance at her. _It's better this way,_ she reasoned to herself.

People started staring at her as she walked past her usual sitting place and marched directly to the end of the Slytherin table. She plopped herself down next to Blaise and across from Malfoy and piled her plate with food as if it were the most normal thing in the world, ignoring all the whispers and the not-so-subtle incredulous looks she was getting from the rest of the Slytherins.

"Morning, Granger," Malfoy drawled. His usual arrogance had started coming back in small bits here and there, but he still wasn't at all like his old self.

Blaise raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, but evidently amused. "Something wrong, Hermione?"

She plastered a smile on her face. "Everything is wonderful! Just wanted to sit with my best friends in the whole world of course," she said with as much sarcasm as she could muster and rolled her eyes with the last bit.

Blaise just laughed and Malfoy bit back a small smirk. She glanced towards the teacher's table at the front of the room to see McGonagall beaming with pride and the other teachers looking on approvingly.

"Didn't feel like sitting with the two lovebirds over there?" Blaise asked, referring to Luna and Neville. She huffed in response, shoving a piece of toast in her mouth. "Can't blame you there. It's almost gross the way they drool over each other."

Draco looked over his shoulder at the couple who had taken no notice of all the commotion she had caused by sitting at a different house table.

"Looney Lovegood and Longbottom. Who would have thought?" He remarked before taking a sip of his tea.

The three of them continued to eat their breakfast, chatting about their latest potions assignment when the mail delivery came.

* * *

In the confusion of owls, Draco looked down to see a small folded piece of paper land in his lap.

 _Tonight 6pm. –T_

He grimaced and quickly shoved the note into his pocket, hoping that Granger and Zabini hadn't seen it. To his relief, they were now talking to each other about the prefect rounds.

Over the past few weeks Draco, Pansy, and Theo had stolen a handful of items for this potion they were apparently going to brew. He didn't even know why Pansy was in on this whole task anyway since it was his father and Theo's that they were breaking out of Azkaban. Pansy's parents had remained out of Azkaban since they weren't death eaters, and retained all of their wealth. Perhaps she just wanted to get in Theo's pants.

They had stolen Moonflower leaves from Slughorn's potions lab, unicorn hair from Luna Lovegood's diary (how Pansy had managed that he would never know), a vial of centaur blood from the hospital wing, and now they needed werewolf blood. Apparently their fathers would only send Theo the needed ingredients for the potion one at a time for secrecy reasons. If they stole everything at once it would look suspicious. Theo would let Draco look at his mother in the mirror now whenever he asked.

He couldn't tell where she was being held, but he could make out an old brick wall with some broken wood on the floor. It wasn't enough to go on. He wanted to tell the aurors, or even McGonagall. But who would believe him? Draco Malfoy, former death eater needs help to rescue his pureblood mother. No one would trust him, and he couldn't even blame them. He wouldn't trust that story if he had been on their side during the war either.

* * *

Blaise watched Draco expression darken as he looked at a small piece of paper under the table. Something was definitely going on. Ever since he first talked to Draco by the lake, he had suspected something wasn't right with him. Hermione didn't seem to notice as she was engrossed in a book.

"What's that?" He asked Draco, pointing to the note.

"Nothing," Draco replied a little too quickly as he shoved the note in his pocket. "Just a note from my mother."

"Really?" Blaise replied with a disbelieving tone. "Is that why Theo and Pansy keep looking at you?"

Hermione glanced over at Pansy and Theo, closing her book and giving them a glare. They simply sniggered and looked away.

"What's going on, Malfoy?" She asked demandingly. Anything that Nott and Parkinson were involved with was ever good. And if Malfoy was in league with them, perhaps she had been right about her suspicions all along.

" _Nothing,"_ he repeated firmly. "I'm not hungry anymore. See you later," he said, pushing his plate away and marching out of the great hall.

Blaise looked at Hermione questioningly. "What do you think that was about? I've seen them doing that before."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, but he seemed pretty sensitive about it. Maybe he just needs some time?"

Yeah…maybe." The two of them went back to their textbooks, ignoring the stares they were receiving from everyone still.

* * *

It was a few days later that McGonagall called Hermione to her office. After giving the portrait the password, she cautiously entered the beautiful room that once belonged to Albus Dumbledoor. McGonagall had redecorated it of course, but it still held the same powerful aura of magic and wonder.

"Miss Granger, please have a seat," she said, pouring a cup of tea for Hermione.

Hermione smiled and took a sip of the tea. "Thank you, Headmistress. What did you want to talk to me about?"

McGonagall sat back in her chair, absentmindedly swirling the contents of her cup with her finger. "I'm very pleased with the progress of inter-house unity. Over the past few months, I believe a lot of this progress has to do with your public friendship with Mr. Zabini. And for that, I'd like to thank you."

"Thank you, headmistress."

"But, this visit isn't just to express my thanks. I've been watching you, and I've noticed that when you're not with Mr. Zabini you're alone."

Hermione tilted her head, not knowing where this was going. "Am I doing something wrong?"

McGonagall lifted her hand up. "Absolutely not. At least, not that I know of. I just wanted to know if everything is okay?"

Hermione was still confused. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Ever since Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley rescued you from that troll during your first year, they have been by your side. I know how much their friendship means to you. I've also noticed that you aren't receiving owls at meals. I can't help but wonder why," she explained.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her chair and took a long sip of tea. "Well, Ron and I had a falling out over the summer. Harry is just busy with auror training as I'm sure you can imagine."

McGonagall frowned. "Yes but how are _you_ , Hermione? I've known you for most of your life and I care very much about you. I want to know if you're truly happy to be back at Hogwarts…alone."

"Thank you so much, headmistress." Hermione said, giving her a small smile. "I admit, I was very lonely at first…but Blaise has helped me a great deal. And as much as I hate to admit it, Malfoy's company isn't as irritating as it used to be. Things are different, but they're okay. I'm okay."

The older witch studied her for a few moments before gently smiling back. "Alright. But just know that you can talk to me about anything if you need to."

Hermione nodded and walked over to the door.

"Miss Granger," McGonagall called out to her. "I'm glad that you're friends with Mr. Zabini. You're good for each other."

* * *

Hermione was in the library with Blaise working on another potions essay when she felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned to see Andy smiling eagerly at her with a silver goblet in his hand.

"Hi, Hermione!"

"Hello, Andy. How are you today?" She said with a smile.

"I'm great. I was wondering if you could help me with something?"

Hermione lifted her bag off the chair next to her to make room for him. "Sure. What do you need?"

He held the goblet out to her. "I was having trouble in Transfiguration today. McGonagall said I could take this for practice."

"I remember that lesson," Blaise chuckled beside her. "You were the first one to do it properly. I was the second."

"I didn't know you were in that class," she said.

"Because you were too busy helping those two dimwits figure out how to do it," he scoffed. "Plus I sat further behind you."

Andy looked up at Blaise with wide eyes, noticing him for the first time.

"Oh I didn't realize you were busy, Hermione. I'm sorry!" He said sheepishly, looking around as if he was about to leave.

"Nonsense. This is Blaise Zabini," she introduced them.

"Yeah, the head boy. I'm Andy," he said, shaking hands.

"You know," Hermione began. "Why don't you let Blaise help you? He's apparently almost as good as magic as I am." In the weeks she had befriended Blaise, she had never actually seen him do much magic other than a few basic wandless spells.

"I highly doubt that, but I can show you what I know." Blaise took the goblet from Andy and effortlessly transformed it into a rose. Andy watched in wonder.

"Wow! That was so cool!" Blaise then smoothly transfigured it back into the goblet.

Hermione watched the two in amusement as Blaise began to give him pointers on how to properly transfigure objects. After about thirty minutes, Andy had gotten the hang of it and happily went off to find his friends so that he could show off. She couldn't help but realize that one day Blaise would be a good father. He was patient explaining the steps to Andy and even gently adjusted the boy's grip on his wand.

"Any other secret magic tricks you're amazingly good at that I don't know about?" She half teased.

"Nothing secret about it at all. In case you didn't know I've always been at the top of my house academically."

"Really? I thought Malfoy was first," she replied, remembering all the times Malfoy had bragged about it in an attempt to appear smarter than her.

"Nah. He was actually behind me by a few points, but I let him run his mouth," he said with a casual wave of his hand.

"How generous of you," she said wryly. "What's your favorite subject?"

He leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head. "As ironic as it may seem, Defense Against the Dark Arts was always my favorite."

Hermione gaped. "Don't tell me you're somehow a master at dueling?" He simply grinned at her.

"Nothing wrong with knowing how to defend myself."

She scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it…although hopefully I won't have to anytime soon."

Blaise nodded in agreement and turned back to his textbooks. Hermione couldn't help herself now.

"So…what's your patronus?" He looked back up at her questioningly.

"Actually, I've never been able to produce a strong enough patronus charm to fully see it," he admitted with a shrug. Although he hated to admit it, not being able to cast a patronus embarrassed him. It meant that he simply didn't have enough happy memories to fuel it for more than a few seconds, or at least he wasn't able to hold onto the feeling for very long.

Hermione remembered how easily casting a patronus came to Harry and how it made the other students extremely jealous.

"Mine is an otter," she said fondly.

Blaise laughed. "An otter? You know, it's actually kind of fitting."

"Harry taught us how to cast a patronus back in 5th year," she explained.

"Ah yes," he remembered. "Dumbledoor's army. Draco was quite intent on catching you all too. He was probably just jealous he wasn't invited."

At this, Hermione scoffed. "Don't give him _that_ much credit to his character. We might get along now, but I know his motivations back then were still quite plain to see."

"Fair enough," he said with his hands up in surrender. "That reminds me…have you written Weasley back yet?"

She frowned. She had been putting it off as long as possible. "Not yet. I suppose I should though. It's been a few days now since I received his letter."

"Okay," he nodded. "Just let me know when you decide to meet." The two of them then turned back to their studies in a comfortable silence.


	8. Chapter 8: Harry Potter

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for continuing to read my story. Updates might be a little slow starting now because I will be recovering from a minor surgery, but please be patient with me. Also, thank you to everyone who is leaving reviews! I read every single one of them and they are all much appreciated. Please be aware that the feedback I get _will_ impact the story to a certain degree, so if you have ideas for the plot, things you like, things you don't like, feel free to share them with me! Thank you again, and I hope you continue to enjoy reading. **

Blaise was making his usual rounds at night lost in thought. He had already taken away house points from pretty much every house for being out after curfew or wandering the halls. It had become a more common occurrence to find students out of bed hanging out together. He normally didn't like taking away house points for it, given everything that had happened the past few years, but McGonagall had insisted that the regular rules be enforced if Hogwarts was to return to its former state.

He remembered when he and his mother were at Hogwarts together for the first time. She came to pick him up and floo him back to their home for Christmas break rather than have him travel by the train. They decided to walk around the grounds before they left. He had never seen his mother so happy before.

 _"I had such a wonderful time at Hogwarts," his mother said dreamily as she looked over the quidditch pitch. "You have a great seven years ahead of you, Blaise."_

 _"I'll make you proud, mother." Blaise promised as he squeezed her hand. She smiled down at him as they continued along the corridor past the Slytherin tower._

 _"When I was just a young girl in Slytherin, I had the biggest crush on Draco Malfoy's father."_

 _"Gross!" He said, covering his ears. His eleven year-old self didn't want to hear about some mushy crush._

 _She patted him on the head and ruffled his curly black hair. "One day you'll understand."_

 _"Was father a Slytherin too?"_

 _His mother pursed her lips at the memory of Blaise's father. "Well I didn't meet your father until after Hogwarts, as he was a few years ahead of me and had graduated long before I did. But no, he was a Gryffindor actually."_

 _"I don't know any Gryffindors…" he frowned._

 _"Well, maybe you'll be friends with one someday."_

 _"Whatever. Slytherins stick together!" Blaise chanted with a smile on his face as he jumped up and down._

 _"That's right, darling." His mother smiled and took his hand to pull him along on the rest of the walk._

Blaise never met his father. He died before he was born after he and his mother had a very brief affair. She didn't like to talk about him, so he usually refrained from asking. He honestly wasn't that curious anyway after seeing how many Slytherin fathers treated their children.

His thoughts suddenly drifted to Hermione's parents. She never talked about them, but she had told him they used to be dentists. _Used to be?_ What a strange way to phrase it. Perhaps they had retired? In fact, he hadn't seen her writing any letters to her parents either. And he knew for certain that they hadn't died, as she used to go home every break to be with them. He wondered what changed.

* * *

It became deathly silent as Hermione entered the great hall at breakfast the next morning. Almost all the students turned to stare at her and whisper, holding newspapers and looking back and forth amongst each other. Confused, she slowly made her way to where Blaise and Malfoy were sitting. Both of them were staring at her too. Blaise looked worried and even Malfoy looked mildly concerned.

"And here I thought the days of people staring at me were fading," she joked as quiet chatter began to start up again.

Blaise continued to look worriedly at her while Malfoy sighed.

"Alright I've had enough of the staring," she said pointedly. "What's going on?"

"Granger. You should read this," Malfoy tossed his newspaper in front of her.

 **DAILY PROPHET: HARRY POTTER MISSING**

 **Just two weeks into his training, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived seems to have disappeared without so much as a trace from the magical community. His absence was at first noted but not given priority due to suspicion that he was on sick leave. However, after a month there was still no word from the auror department. The disappearance was not brought to the attention of the public until now. It seems that the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt has tried to keep this a secret as to not cause any public disturbance. Anyone who might know anything about Potter's current whereabouts are encouraged to contact the auror department…**

Hermione slammed the paper down in horror and felt herself begin to hyperventilate. So this was why she hadn't heard from Harry. And how dare the ministry try and keep this a secret. Why hadn't anyone come and talked to her, or at least questioned her? Did McGonagall know about this too? What efforts was the ministry making to find him?

"Easy," Blaise said, rubbing gentle circles on her back as she tried to remember how to breathe.

"I don't understand!" She looked to the teacher's table and noticed that McGonagall was not there.

Blaise followed her gaze. "She didn't know. McGonagall is at the ministry right now yelling at Shacklebolt."

Hermione stood up. "I'm going too."

Blaise grabbed her wrist lightly. "Maybe you should calm down before you go-"

She didn't give him a chance to say anything else before stepping away from his hand and apparating on the spot.

Hermione appeared with a loud pop in the ministry lobby and raced to Shacklebolt's office. A few aurors looked at her with questioning gazes but backed off as soon as they recognized her. The door opened immediately, as he was clearly expecting her. McGonagall, Shacklebolt, and the head Auror were sitting at Shacklebolt's desk looking tensed. They turned to Hermione as she entered.

The head auror, a tall woman in her late 30s with long brown hair stood up. "Miss Granger. This is a private meeting," she began indignantly.

The minister just sighed and waved her in. "Come in, Hermione. I had a feeling you would show up unannounced today. We reached out to the Weasleys a few minutes earlier but they informed us they wouldn't be coming."

McGonagall glared at him as Hermione took a seat next to her. "And she has every right to be here, Kingsley. How dare you keep this from the public, from _me._ That boy was my responsibility far before you even knew of his name!"

"I assure you, Minerva, the point of keeping this a secret was not to hurt you in any way. We did not want to raise public concern and cause panic after what the wizarding world just went through. We thought at first that it might be nothing."

"That's not the point, Kingsley. You should have contacted me right away when your suspicions were raised even the slightest bit. The amount of resources I have at Hogwarts to help find him-"

Shacklebolt's eyes flashed dangerously at her. "Are nothing compared to what the ministry has access to. We are doing everything we can to locate Mr. Potter."

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. "Please, can someone explain to me exactly what is going on?" The three adults looked at her and Shacklebolt nodded at the auror.

"My name is Annabelle Forrester, the head of the auror department. Potter never showed up for his third week of training. At first we thought he might be sick, so we granted him some leniency, especially with his talent and societal influence," she began.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed at the woman's lack of tact and professionalism in dealing with the case. "How long did this _leniency_ last?"

"We gave him a full two weeks before we reached out to him, only to find his apartment empty. But the strange thing was nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. No signs of a struggle. We also found his wand on his bedside table. So that means Potter either ran away or he was kidnapped somewhere."

"Who would want to kidnap, Harry?" Hermione wondered.

Shacklebolt smiled grimly. "As I'm sure you're aware Hermione, even though the world is at peace, there are those who still hold on to their wartime ideologies. Harry Potter was the person who defeated their leader."

"What's the current status of the investigation?" McGonagall asked.

Annabelle pulled out a piece of paper containing all the details. "I have our best aurors scouring the country for Potter. We also have contacts within the muggle world using some sort of face tracking system," she added the last part somewhat confused by the terminology.

"Facial recognition software," Hermione realized. "But it's been months. How have you not found him?"

"These things take time, Miss Granger. We will keep all of you updated from this point on."

McGonagall stood up. "What can Hogwarts do to help?"

"Stay out of our way and let us know if you see any suspicious behavior amongst the students or staff."

"This is outrageous. Surely there must be something we can do!" McGonagall insisted.

Hermione sat in shock as she processed the information while the two witches argued. How could Harry have been kidnapped? It didn't make any sense. He had been so lucky his entire life, dodging bullets and even evading death. While she had ever bit of faith in his magical talent, he was without his wand wherever he was…if he was even alive.

Whatever was happening to him now was her fault. She hadn't heard from him in months and had just assumed he was busy. What a fool she had been. If anything happened to him she didn't know what she would do. All her memories, the awful memories she had worked so hard to keep at bay came flooding back.

She had lost so much from the war: the Weasleys, her parents, her friends…and now Harry. How could she have let it all happen this way? She felt more alone than ever before. Alone. Scared. Ashamed. Feelings she had tried to keep bottled up for so long ever since she came back to Hogwarts.

* * *

Blaise paced nervously in the common room as he waited for Hermione to return. It had been hours since both Hermione and McGonagall had left. Whatever happened to Potter would affect her more than anyone. His pacing stopped as the door swung open and a rather defeated looking Hermione slowly walked in.

"Hermione," he said, rushing to her side and grasping her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Unable to contain her emotions anymore, tears started falling. "It's all my fault, Blaise. I _knew_ he wasn't returning my letters and I _knew_ it was strange but I just thought he was too busy with everything to talk to me." Blaise gently guided her to sit down on the couch and wrapped an arm around her.

"It's not your fault," he said comfortingly.

Her hands clenched at her sides as her body shook with her tears. "I should have said something. Maybe they could have done something sooner. Oh god, what if he's dead?"

Blaise pulled her closer and she pressed her face into his shoulder, sobbing now. "Wherever he is, I'm sure he's not dead. Potter has proven himself quite difficult to get rid of." Blaise felt a sharp twinge of pain his chest as he watched her break down. It hurt him to see her like this and he hated the Ministry for keeping this a secret from Hermione of all people.

He gently ran his hand over the back of her hair. "I promise, we will find him. Everything will be okay." She continued to sob until her cries became weaker and turned into soft sniffles. After a few minutes he realized that she had fallen asleep in his arms, her head resting on his chest and her arms around his waist. It was hard to see her so vulnerable and hurt. While she certainly hadn't been the same fiery girl she used to be before the war, bits and pieces had been coming back, just as his former self had been reemerging as their friendship grew. But this was just wrong. Hermione was a powerful witch, a war hero, the brains of the Golden Trio and seemingly the only reason they ever survived anything. How could the Ministry disrespect her so much after everything she had done for the magical community?

It was just dinner time at Hogwarts, and Hermione had been gone most of the day at the ministry. He wasn't hungry though and he couldn't bring himself to wake her. Rather than carry her back to her room, he decided to just sit there and let her rest for a while. The front of his shirt was soaked from her tears, but he didn't mind. It felt nice to hold someone like this. It felt…right.

Blaise knew in that moment that his feelings for the sleeping girl in his arms had extended beyond friendship. At first, they were friends out of convenience. Then, they were friends because they found out they actually liked each other as people. Ever since their hug at the Slug Club Party, it had slowly begun to evolve into something more. He didn't know how Hermione felt about him, but he would be sure to help her through this. And maybe, just maybe, she would feel the same in return.


	9. Chapter 9 : The Butterfly Effect

**Author's Note: Just a short chapter this time! I've been pretty busy lately. But don't worry! The next chapters should be normal length if not longer.**

* * *

When Hermione woke up she noticed a few things. The first, was that she realized she didn't have nightmares for the first time in months. The second, was that her eyes stung from crying. And the third, was that she was wrapped very tightly in someone's arms. Surprisingly muscular arms. _Uh oh._

She followed the long arms around her waist up to their broad shoulders and up to a peacefully sleeping Blaise Zabini. He was breathing peacefully and his chest rose evenly, the exact opposite of how she normally found him when he was having nightmares. She also noticed in the moment that his eyelashes were extremely long. She couldn't help but notice how comfortable she was. Being in Blaise's arms felt…right. Heat rose to her face as she blushed deeply at their position, but certainly made no effort to move.

The events of hours before came back to her mind and she frowned, slightly embarrassed that Blaise had caught her in such a moment of weakness. He was so caring and gentle that it made her heart flutter a bit as she realized how lucky she was to have a friend like him. Even in a time when she felt alone in the world, he was a wonderful reminder that there was always light in darkness. Blaise was that light for her.

But it was more than that. He was intelligent and handsome. Caring and kind. Broken but not defeated. And somehow the universe had put them together to help them rebuild themselves. Blaise wasn't just a friend to her. Hermione cared about Blaise more than that.

Just as she came to this realization, Blaise slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey," he said tiredly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she admitted, slightly tightening her arms around his waist and laying her head back on his chest. "I'm worried, Blaise."

He ran his hand through the back of her hair gently. "I know. I am too. If Potter is missing, something bad is going on."

"The Ministry said there's nothing we can do to help."

"The ministry is incompetent then. He's been missing for months and they haven't found him. I think it's time to do a little investigating of our own," Blaise said decisively.

"You're going to help me find him?"

"Absolutely. It's about time I do something useful to the wizarding world."

Hermione smiled. "That means a lot to me, Blaise." He answered by tightening his grip around her and giving her a light hug. They lay there for a few minutes in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

She shifted slightly, making sure to keep her hair out of his face. "What time is it?"

"I believe it's about nine," he answered unbothered and closed his eyes again as if he was going to go back to sleep.

"I guess we've missed dinner. Shall we go to the kitchens and see if the house elves are willing to cook us something quick?" She suggested.

Blaise seemed reluctant to get up, but nodded and loosened his grip to help her stand up. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Hermione led the way to the kitchens to be greeted by a cheerful house elf handing a pear to a familiar-looking first year.

"Andy?" Blaise called out. Andy whipped his head around so fast Hermione thought it might twist off as he grinned at them looking rather guilty.

"Oh h-hey. I was just getting a snack," he explained quickly. Blaise and Hermione looked at each other and smiled before turning back to him.

"It's alright this time, Andy. After all, we're getting one too. But you'd better get back to your dorm in case any prefects catch you out of bed at this time." He nodded enthusiastically and took his fruit with him as he made his way out of the kitchens.

The house elf now turned to them. "How may Jinxie assist you?"

"Jinxie, we missed dinner by accident. Could you possibly make the two of us something?" Hermione asked politely, smiling at the cute little elf.

"Of course! I'll make you some soup and sandwiches." The house elf scurried into the kitchen as they sat on a bench against the wall.

Blaise leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "You're lucky it's Saturday you know. Otherwise you would have missed all your classes."

"My worst nightmare," Hermione half-joked. "The auror told us to report anything suspicious at Hogwarts…do you remember how weird Malfoy was acting that one time?"

"Yeah but I'm hesitant to jump to any conclusions. Besides, Draco isn't capable of leaving Hogwarts. He's only here on strict orders from the Ministry," he pointed out.

"Yes, but what about Parkinson and Nott? You said yourself that they keep looking at him. They don't have any restrictions on apparating in and out of Hogwarts."

Blaise seemed to consider this for a moment before opening his eyes and nodding. "True. But I'm not sure what Pansy would have to gain from kidnapping Harry, or Theo for that matter."

"Let's keep an eye on them this week before we decide to talk to McGonagall," Hermione said as the house elf came back with two trays of hot vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. "This looks great, Jinxie." The house elf nodded excitedly and went back to the kitchen.

Blaise made a sound of appreciation as he tasted his soup. "My mother used to make me soup like this when I was younger, although with a few more Italian seasonings."

"Whenever I was sick my mother made me chicken noodle soup to feel better."

"Chicken noodle soup?" Blaise asked. "How would that make you feel better?"

She laughed and took a bite of her sandwich. "It's a muggle thing I suppose." It was always amusing to her when wizards couldn't understand common muggleborn expressions or technology.

"You never talk about your parents," he pointed out suddenly.

Hermione shifted slightly in her seat and looked intently at her soup. "And?"

Blaise just shrugged. "I just wondered why."

She took a few minutes to gather her thoughts as they ate in silence. "They don't remember me," she mumbled quietly.

He put down his tray and turned to sit facing her. "Why not? Did something happen?"

"I obliviated them," she confessed. "I didn't want them to be in danger during the war. You know what Voldemort did to muggles he found in connection with the order. I erased any memories of me from their minds. Apparently the last thing on their minds before I was born was to go live in Australia…and that's what they did. The ministry discreetly gave them new identities and new lives without them knowing."

Blaise was shocked hearing this, but he understood. He took her hand gently, "It was the right thing to do."

"They're safe and happy now," she said giving his hand a light squeeze. "I don't want to come back into their lives after everything if they're truly happy and mess it up for them."

"Aren't you a little bit curious as to where they are?"

"All the time. But after they assumed new lives the ministry lost track of them. I have no idea where they are or what they're doing now."

Blaise frowned at this. The ministry seemed to be mucking everything up lately. "Maybe when this year is over we can find them…together."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Could he really mean that? "You would do that for me?"

"Yes. Let's focus on Potter first though."

"Agreed." Blaise gave her one of his handsomest smiles and she couldn't ignore the butterflies in her stomach and turned away to hide her blush.


	10. Chapter 10: Confrontations

Draco was studying in the library for an upcoming potions exam when Granger suddenly came to his table and plopped her things down. It had become a standard routine for some combination of the three of them to sit together in the library and do work together. _The new Golden Trio_ , he thought with a grimace.

He couldn't deny that he enjoyed their companionship. For the first time in his life he felt like had a genuine friend in Blaise. Even Granger seemed to have move beyond their past and there was no longer any trace of malice between the two former enemies except their use of last names. Having Blaise and Granger with him made him feel normal again. The three of them seemed to do everything together: eat meals, work on homework, sometimes even just lounge around in the head common room. The sight of two Slytherins and a Gryffindor together became the new school norm as they no longer received surprised or dirty looks.

Things with Pansy and Theo had been relatively quiet. They came to him occasionally to make sure he was still involved with the plan to break their fathers out of Azkaban. Each time they would let him see his mother in the mirror, but his trust in the situation was starting to fade. He needed proof that his mother was really there being held captive before he could decide what to do. After researching magic mirrors, he had concluded that the mirror image could possibly be an illusion, but there was no way to test the theory since Theo hadn't called upon him in weeks.

That didn't stop him from worrying though. He hadn't heard from his mother since they showed him the mirror. Most of the wizarding world thought his mother was traveling the world, so there was nothing out of the ordinary about her absence to alert them or make them suspicious. The ministry was too busy with locating Potter to care about his mother anyway.

"Malfoy," Granger said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Granger."

"Are we friends?"

Draco stared at her for a moment. That was certainly unexpected. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I just want to know…It's important to me," she added for clarification.

He regarded her for a few moments, trying to come up with reasons why they shouldn't be friends, before sighing in defeat. "I suppose we are, Granger."

Her face lit up with a bright smile. "Then I have two things. First, friends call each other by their first name. You can call me Hermione."

"Okay, _Hermione._ " He said, testing out her name for the first time. It felt kind of weird after all these years to not use her name as some kind of insult. "And the second?"

"Friends take care of each other. So what's going on with you?"

Draco froze at the question. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She rolled her eyes at the expected response. "Don't lie to me. We've noticed your strange behavior for months. You pretend things are normal, but the second Theo and Pansy look at you or enter the room you become stiff and rigid. Plus, you sometimes skip meals. Are Pansy and Theo threatening you?"

"I thought I already told you that there's nothing going on. You and Blaise need to stop asking questions." He bit his tongue at the way he phrased the last part. She seemed to catch on.

"Draco," she said more softly this time. "Blaise and I, we can help you. We can go to McGonagall or the Ministry. But you have to trust us."

" _Nothing_ is going on," he insisted. "I think the real question is what's happening with Potter?" He prided himself mentally with his quick diversion

"Don't try and change the subject." Never mind. Hermione was too smart for her own good.

"I can't tell you." He hoped she wouldn't prod any further.

"Are they threatening you?" Well shit. Now she was definitely onto him.

"Hermione, please." He said tiredly. "I don't want to talk about this." She looked like she was about to say something but right at that moment Blaise entered the library and made his way over to them with a deep scowl on his face. Draco looked up at him questioningly, but Blaise was focused on Hermione.

"Hermione, Weasley is here to see you," Blaise announced through grit teeth.

* * *

Hermione and Blaise approached the quidditch pitch where Ron was waiting. McGonagall had permitted Ron to wait there and told Blaise to go get her. Draco had opted to stay out of the whole thing, for which she was grateful. Having Draco there would probably just set Ron off and make things even more complicated. It was bad enough she would be bringing Blaise with her.

Ron was pacing back and forth between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff stands. He had cut his hair so that it looked the way it did in 3rd year and was wearing one of his old flannel shirts and jeans. She had to admit, he looked much better than he did over the summer. Although as he turned them, she could easily make out the familiar stressed look on his face and the dark circles beneath his eyes.

"Hermione, you came." He said, sounding surprised and relieved. His eyes shifted to Blaise who he glared at. "What are you doing here?"

"Weasley." Blaise greeted evenly.

"Hello, Ron. Blaise is here as my friend," she explained. Ron didn't say anything but looked annoyed.

He slowly looked back and forth between the two. "Can I speak to you alone?" He asked her. She gave Blaise the go-ahead look. Blaise wandered over to the stands, far enough to give them privacy but close enough to see everything that happened.

A cold wind blew through the quidditch pitch as she adjusted the scarf around her neck. "So…you came to see me."

Ron cleared his throat before speaking. "You never responded to my letter."

"There was a lot going on." It was true. She _had_ been planning on writing him back but then Harry went missing. She totally forgot about it.

"Yeah…" he looked over at Blaise in the distance who was silently watching them. "Why is Zabini really here?"

"I already told you. Blaise is my friend," she replied, not wanting to elaborate.

He gave her a disbelieving look. "But he's a Slytherin."

"So what?"

"They're selfish and dangerous," he said narrowing his eyes at her. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Blaise isn't like that. Don't make assumptions, Ron." She said angrily. Already this wasn't off to a good start. _Besides, you're the one that hurt me first_ , she added in her head.

Ron held his hands up in surrender. "Alright alright. That's not what I'm here about anyway. Can we start over?"

She eyed him in suspicion but finally sighed. "Okay." She should at least hear what he came all the way here to say.

"I'm not proud of the way I acted after the war," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I was going through a rough patch with my family and with Fred being gone…in fact I still am and I'm nowhere near being done getting through it."

Hermione waited patiently for him to continue, genuinely surprised by his mature behavior.

"I'm sorry for how things ended between us. I was drunk and angry and I had no right to touch you like that. Can you forgive me?"

She twirled a lock of hair around her finger looking down. "Thank you for apologizing." _Even though it was months later._ "But honestly, Ron, I just need more time. I'm sure I can move past it eventually, just not right now. Not with everything else going on right now."

He shifted slightly and looked down. "Yeah..okay." There was an awkward pause before he continued. "About Harry, the ministry contacted me but my family wouldn't let me go."

"What do you mean?"

"They don't want any more family members to be put in potential harm's way."

This she could understand after losing Fred. It helped to realize that there was a reason the Weasleys had acted so cold recently. In addition to coping with the loss, they inadvertently blamed Harry for what happened. It was unfair, but understandable.

"I understand." She looked over at Blaise who had transfigured a stick into a broom and was circling around the quidditch pitch, while still keeping an eye on them.

"So where do we go from here?" Ron asked. Clearly he wanted some sort of resolve to their conversation, otherwise it wouldn't have been worth coming to Hogwarts.

"Well your family doesn't seem to want you involved with finding Harry, so I guess that's where you'll have to leave it." She replied somewhat stiffly.

Ron took a step forward angrily. "Are you saying you're not going to let me help?"

Blaise must have noticed this slight change in posture and he appeared seemingly out of nowhere by her side.

"Everything alright over here?" He said cautiously looking between the two of them.

Ron glared at him. "We're fine, Zabini."

Hermione ignored the tension and sighed. "Ron, there's not much you can do to help right now. But if anything happens I'll let you know. Okay?"

He slowly relaxed and crossed his arms. "Okay."

"Goodbye, Ron." She said as Blaise took her arm to lead her back to the castle. She heard Ron apparate away behind them.


	11. Chapter 11: Caught in the Act

**Author's Note: Hi everyone. Thank you for all your kind words of support! I'd like to clarify a few things. This story is technically AU, as I have made a few changes to the mechanics of Hogwarts post-war. All students who are of age (mainly the 8th years) can now freely apparate in and out of Hogwarts. Also, I am now in the recovery period of my surgery, so chapters will be posted somewhat slowly unless I get a sudden burst of energy/creativity. Please be patient and thank you again for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I love you all!**

* * *

Blaise was pacing anxiously as Hermione was studying on the sofa in their common room. Over the past week, when he and Hermione hadn't been stuck planning out the Winter Ball, he had been watching Draco very closely and wasn't happy with what he noticed. It was as if Draco was being watched by Theo and Pansy, but always denying it when questioned. He also noted that Draco would show up at breakfast looking like he hadn't gotten much sleep.

He noticed this morning that Draco received another note which made him uncomfortable. Neither he nor Hermione said anything, but she clearly noticed it as well. Draco just stuffed the note in his pocket and remained quiet for the rest of the meal.

"Enough pacing. What's on your mind?" Hermione asked, setting her book down and sitting upright.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I think we should look for Draco tonight. I have a bad feeling for some reason."

"You mean follow him? What if he's in bed?"

"Then we leave it alone. But if he's not in bed, then he might be in trouble," he explained, hoping she would agree to it. She sighed before answering.

"Let's check if Theo and Pansy are in bed too then." Being head boy and head girl had its advantages for being out of bed after hours.

"What time is it now?"

Blaise looked at the clock above the door. "It's about 9:30pm. Should we go now?"

She nodded. "Lead the way."

The two of them walked quietly to the Slytherin end of the castle, looking for other people out of bed on the way.

Blaise gave the password to the portrait and turned to Hermione. "Wait here. I'll go check if they're there."

The Slytherin common room was just how he remembered it. Dark sofas and silver furniture, and a small fire in the fireplace which someone had forogotten to put out. There was also a large Christmas tree in the corner since it was nearing the season quickly. The house elves had put a large tree with silver, green, gold, and red decorations up in their common room as well.

He made his way up the stairs to the boy's dorm and quietly checked each bed. Both Draco and Theo were missing, as predicted. Next, he went to the door of the girl's dormitory and knocked, hoping that someone would wake up and answer it.

A tired-looking Astoria Greengrass in a silky white nightgown opened the door, and squinted at him in the darkness for a moment until she realized who he was. "What is it, Zabini?"

"I was wondering if Pansy is here?" He said smoothly, hoping that she wouldn't ask too many questions. Astoria was a quiet girl, but it was the quiet ones you had to be careful of.

"Let me check." She retreated back into the dorm room for a minute and then came back. "She's not here. Should I give her a message when she comes back for you?"

"No that's alright. Thank you, Astoria. My apologies for waking you." He always felt awkward calling Slytherin girls by their last names, even though she used his. Even when everyone called him by his last name he would either say their first name or nothing at all.

Hermione was still waiting for him outside and looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"All three are gone."

"I have something that might help," she said, pulling what looked like a map out of her robes. "Harry gave this to me before I left for Hogwarts, the Marauder's Map. It will show where everyone in the castle is."

Blaise raised an eyebrow at this. "Is that even allowed?"

She didn't respond, but instead muttered an incantation and sure enough the map turned into a sketch of Hogwarts in its entirety. They studied it together for a moment until Draco's name caught his eye.

"There," he said, pointing to the name. "Theo and Pansy are with him too. They're in the Forbidden Forest."

"Should we tell McGonagall?"

"Not yet. Let's just see what they're doing before we make any accusations." Although, being in the Forbidden Forest late at night was never a good sign unless you were serving detention. Blaise's mother always thought that having a dangerous forest next to a school was ridiculous. He had only been in it once, but he quite agreed with her.

They walked down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It looked just as creepy and haunting as he remembered it. Hermione didn't seem too bothered by it since she had been in it many times.

"I hope Draco is okay," she said quietly. He was a little surprised at her use of his first name, but nodded in agreement.

"Lead the way." She took out the map, cast lumos, and started walking towards Draco's location. He followed after her with his wand out, doing his best to ignore all the sounds around them. After what seemed like an eternity of walking through the darkness, he could see a small fire in the distance with three figures standing around it. Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled them behind some shrubs so that they could observe what was going on.

Theo was standing over what looked like a potions cauldron on the fire, carefully adding ingredients. Pansy was sitting on a log keeping watch around them for any sign of people. Luckily, Blaise had the sense to cast a disillusionment charm around them as they approached. Draco was holding a locket he had seen Theo putting his pocket a few times and looked angry.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Draco said.

Theo dropped the last ingredient into the pot with a loud splash. "How many times have we been over this, Malfoy? At least a hundred. You don't have any say in the matter. Besides, we're almost ready for the final stage."

"I want proof that she's really kidnapped."

"What more proof do you need? She's right there," Theo said tiredly.

Draco gave him a cold glare. "It's not enough. Not anymore."

"We can give you proof, Draco. But it will be extremely painful for her." Pansy said, standing up and taking the locket from him. Blaise noticed that the locket had a mirror in it. Perhaps a mirror portal? But who was kidnapped?

"Wait-" Draco began as Pansy pointed her wand at the mirror.

" _Crucio."_ The sounds of Draco's mother's screams filled the air. Draco watched in horror as he saw his mother writhe against her chains.

"Stop!" He yelled, trying to get the locket from Pansy, but Theo held him by his shoulders.

Hermione gasped as she realized what was happening and wasted no time leaping from the shadows.

" _Expelliarmus!"_ She yelled as Pansy's wand flew away from her hair, breaking the cruciatus curse instantly.

The three of them jumped in surprise as Hermione and Blaise came towards them, wands drawn. Theo quickly grabbed Draco.

"Zabini, how nice of you to join us," Theo drawled, taking out his wand and pointing it at Draco's neck. "Now I suggest you leave and forget you saw any of this."

Hermione grabbed Pansy and held her own wand against the girl's neck. "Don't do anything stupid, Theodore." Pansy looked disgusted at Hermione's touch but remained silent.

"It's Nott to you, filthy mudblood" He sneered in response. Blaise now had his wand pointed at Theo as the three of them stood still, waiting to see who would cast first.

"Tell us what's going on," Hermione demanded. Blaise noticed that Draco was looking between him and the potion on the fire.

"What's this?" Blaise asked, bending down to inspect whatever was brewing in the pot. Theo yanked Draco back and pressed the wand further into his neck.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you, Zabini." He warned. "This is a rather private matter and we don't need blood traitors involved."

Blaise ignored this advice and continued towards the potion.

"Take one more step and Draco's mother dies!" Pansy said.

Theo glared at her. "Be quiet, Pansy!" But it was too late. Upon hearing those words, Blaise forgot all about the potion and launched himself towards Draco and Theo. He wouldn't let Draco's mother die too. Not in the same horrible, unjust way his mother did.

Before Theo could react, Blaise punched him hard in the face, causing him to let go of Draco, who stumbled away clumsily.

Hermione cast a stupefy at Theo to knock him out before Blaise could do any more real damage and turned to Pansy. "You're going to tell us exactly what this potion is for and why you have Draco's mother."

"Or what, mudblood? You'll force it out of me? You don't have the guts for torture." Pansy lifted her head defiantly.

Draco, having lost his patience, grabbed her by the collar of her robes and yanked her to eye level. Hermione may not have had the guts for it, but in his enraged state, Draco certainly might. "Where. Is. My. Mother," he demanded in a dangerous tone.

Blaise put a calming hand on Draco's shoulder to try and stop him. "Mate, don't do anything that will get you in trouble. We'll handle this." He seemed to relax a bit but still kept a good grip on Pansy and never breaking eye-contact with the now shaking girl.

Pansy seemed to finally grasp how much trouble she was in. The fear in her eyes was evident. "They'll kill me if I say anything." She said finally.

" _Who?_ " Blaise pressed.

"Draco and Theo's fathers," she confessed. Hermione looked confused.

"They're in Azkaban."

Pansy narrowed her eyes at her in response. "That's all you're getting from me."

"They've been forcing me to collect ingredients for a portion that repels dementors." Draco said from behind them. "We finished it tonight just as you arrived."

Just as he finished the explanation, there was a loud pop of apparition behind them.

"No," Blaise said as he turned, eyes wide.

Theo was gone. And so was the potion

* * *

Harry slowly opened his eyes from another restless sleep as he took in his surroundings once again. It was a medium sized room with only one small light overhead that flickered every few minutes. From what he could gather, it was a cellar in the basement of some house.

It had been months since he had been taken. Someone had broken through the wards of his apartment and knocked him out the muggle way before he had a chance to react with magic. When he woke up, he was without a wand and in shackles against the wall in this location.

Every day an old house elf would appear with two trays of simple food, a piece of bread and some water. One tray was for him. The other tray was for the other prisoner at the opposite end of the wall, Narcissa Malfoy.

Mrs. Malfoy hadn't talked to him since he had gotten there despite his futile efforts. He supposed she was charmed to not be able to speak on top of being very weak from the lack of nourishment they received.

Suddenly, she began screaming and convulsing as if in pain. _A remote cruciatus curse_ , Harry realized.

Whatever this was, it wasn't good.


	12. Chapter 12: Closer

Blaise, Hermione, and Draco sat in front of McGonagall nervously as she patiently listened to their story of events. They had gone straight to McGonagall, who decided to lock Pansy in the dungeons until deciding further what to do with her. A nasty look washed over her face as Draco explained what the potion was for.

"Why didn't you come to me sooner, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco looked down guiltily. "I thought you wouldn't believe me," he explained. "I didn't think any of you would believe me," he said looking at Blaise and Hermione apologetically.

Blaise placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We would have." Hermione nodded in agreement. It saddened them to realize that despite their newfound friendship, Draco still felt alone deep down.

"When exactly did your mother stop writing to you?" McGonagall asked, suddenly sitting upright.

Draco thought back to when he stopped receiving letters. "Um…about two weeks after school started?"

"That's about the same time Mr. Potter went missing…" She mused. The timing was too suspicious to be a coincidence.

"Do you think the two disappearances are connected?" Hermione asked.

"I think it's possible. The mirror is a looking-glass into a certain location, but the area where she is being kept could be larger," she said, examining the locket. "Mirror spells are complicated, but perhaps a good curse breaker could sort it out."

"What are we going to do?" Blaise asked. He was extremely worried for Draco and Draco's mother.

McGonagall placed the locket in a small bag and stood up. "I'm going right to the Ministry. The Auror department needs to know about this for the sake of finding both of them if there is a connection. I want you three to stay together. Pansy has been placed in a holding cell in the dungeon under the watch of Professor Slughorn until her parents have been contacted. Mr. Malfoy, you are to stay in in the Heads Common Room temporarily in case Mr. Nott foolishly decides to come back. If he needed you for this long, he may still need you now."

Hermione was confused. "But wouldn't he be safer under the protection of one of the professors?"

"The fewer people who know about Draco's situation the better. I don't want him to be in any unnecessary trouble with the Ministry," she explained. Draco felt relieved that McGonagall wasn't upset with him and was trying to keep him out of legal trouble even now.

"I'll stay with them, headmistress."

"Good. I suggest the three of you go and get some rest. I'll let you know what happens first thing in the morning."

* * *

Hermione watched Draco and Blaise with worry. Blaise had helped Draco bring some of his things to the head dorm while Hermione transfigured the coffee table into a bed for him. He seemed somewhat more reserved than usual and was staring out the window blankly. Blaise was sitting at the study area anxiously tapping his quill against the desk. He had tried to work on an assignment but his mind was too distracted to focus. She had settled herself on one of the couches by the fireplace. Draco had been in the common room many times before, but this time was different.

"The three of us will never get any sleep at this rate," Blaise muttered, shoving his essay away.

"McGonagall said she would report what happened to the ministry. There's nothing else we can do right now," she reasoned, hoping that would relax him. Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

Blaise slammed his fist down on the table angrily. "This is ridiculous. Why can't we go to the ministry with the headmistresses? We're not a bunch of children anymore. If Harry and Draco's mom are in trouble, we deserve to help. After all, we were the ones that caught them."

Hermione moved over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The Auror department will let us know if we can help. It's been a long night. We should all just get some rest."

Blaise considered this for a moment before turning to Draco, who was still staring out the window.

"Draco? You've been unusually quiet," he pointed out. The blonde haired boy finally turned to face them.

"I think…I think Hermione is right. I'm going to get some sleep," he said, nodding to the bed in the corner.

She looked at Blaise who clearly wanted to say something more. "Let's let Draco rest," she suggested, tugging him into her room so they could continue to talk. It was obvious Blaise wasn't ready to sleep yet.

"Let us know if you need anything," Blaise called to Draco before they closed the door. The two of them sat on Hermione's bed.

"So what's really troubling you?" She asked. It always amazed him how easily she could read him.

"Knowing Draco's mother is kidnapped…and hearing her being tortured brought back bad memories," he said, pulling his knees to his chest. He couldn't help but remember how his mother was put under the cruciatus curse right before her death.

Hermione scooted a little bit closer to him. "We _will_ find her. And Harry," she added for her own comfort.

He sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. "I can't even imagine how Draco must feel right now. Probably the same way you felt with Harry being gone."

"I'm glad he's staying with us for now. It wouldn't do him any good to be alone."

Blaise looked at her with admiration. "You know, it's quite nice how the two of you are now. You used to hate each other," he pointed out.

"Things change," she said simply. "Besides…I'm not sure I ever really hated him. His spitefulness towards me was a product of his upbringing. I think somewhere along the way we both realized that."

"Draco and I were never really friends. He only called me by my name once before, and that was right before the three of you saved us in the Room of Requirement. Now, I consider him one of my best friends."

"Well if someone had told me a year ago that my closest friends upon returning to Hogwarts would be Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy, I probably would have laughed my head off," she said with a giggle.

Hearing the sound of her laughter, Blaise felt himself relax a little bit as he grinned at her. He loved making her smile.

"Well if someone had told me a year ago I would be friends with the know-it-all Gryffindor and brains of the Golden Trio I would have called them insane too," he teased. She playfully bumped his shoulder in return.

"I have to be honest though, when I came back to Hogwarts I was lost. You've helped me more than you know to find myself again," he said seriously.

Hermione blushed at his words and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You've helped me too."

"I'm glad," he said.

"We do this thing where we say something really serious one second and then something very lighthearted the next."

"It's our _thing_. Don't ruin the moment, Zabini," she smirked, putting extra emphasis on the use of his last name.

He gasped dramatically bringing a hand to his face. "Back to Zabini am I?" Hermione grinned in response. "Alright then, Granger."

They both burst into laughter before remembering Draco was sleeping in the other room.

"I guess we should try to get some sleep too," Blaise said as he began to get up. Before he could stand, she grabbed his arm.

"Can you…stay here tonight?" She said, blushing deeply. "I don't want to be alone."

Blaise was shocked at her request, but slowly came out of it and tried to hide his own blush. "Erm, I guess."

After the two of them changed into their pajamas, they got under the covers a little awkwardly. Hermione turned to face him. "Thanks for staying. I know it might seem a bit weird…but with everything that happened tonight I just want to feel safe."

He smiled warmly at her. "I understand."

"Goodnight, Blaise."

"Goodnight, Hermione." The two of them quickly drifted to sleep.

* * *

When Blaise woke up as he felt something tickling his nose. He then noticed that he was trapped. Hermione was half on his chest and had one leg wrapped around his, her arms draped across his body as she slept peacefully.

Blaise shifted slightly so that her hair wasn't practically shoved down his throat and placed an arm around her. He had to admit, he was surprised when she asked him to sleep in her room, let alone let him sleep in her bed. There was of course a part of him that was incredibly happy at her invitation, but another part that was worried about her.

He had begun to notice that his nightmares had been slowly diminishing over time. Last night was one of the best sleeps he had in a long time. It wasn't the first time they had been in an intimate position, as they had laid on the couch together after Harry went missing. This time felt obviously different though.

As he watched her sleep he admired once again how beautiful she was. The steady rising and falling of her chest as she slept was a comforting rhythm. It was adorable until she suddenly began to wake up and stretch her arm out, socking him in the face accidentally.

He let out a grunt of unexpected pain as her hand collided with his nose rather forcefully. Her eyes shot open as she sat up in alarm.

"Oh, Merlin! Sorry about that," she said, still groggy from sleep. He didn't think it was possible for her hair to look any bushier than usual, but he was wrong. And it was the cutest thing ever.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, rubbing his nose lazily. "What time is it?"

Hermione peered over to the clock on the wall. "It's almost 9am. Shall we get some breakfast?"

Blaise gave her a sly smile. "I don't know…I kind of like being like this," he said, pulling her back down next to him. She blushed deeply before sighing contently and relenting.

"Okay, maybe a few more minutes." Being in each other's arms always seemed more comforting recently than anything else. Although they hadn't talked about this new side of their friendship, he didn't want to push his luck by being too forward. Whatever she wanted from him, whether it be friendship or something more, he would be patient about it and let it develop on its own.

After a few more minutes of rest, he began to sit up. "We should get ready before there's no breakfast left. I'll check on Draco too." She nodded a bit sadly as he untangled himself from her and got out of bed and left the room.

Draco was already dressed and sitting on one of the couches in the common room, twirling his wand in his fingers absentmindedly when he noticed Blaise come in.

"Morning," Blaise greeted and came over to the couch. "How are you feeling today?"

Draco yawned and stretched out his arms before standing up. "A bit more collected than last night…I have a lot to tell you. I should have come to you sooner."

He placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll talk about it later."

He turned to go back into his room to get ready but Draco stopped him. "Blaise…" he began in a confused tone. "Did you just come out of Hermione's room?"

Blaise froze at the question. He hadn't discussed his feelings toward Hermione with anyone, not even Draco. The idea of getting "caught" from whatever they had been doing was a bit embarrassing, though he wasn't exactly sure why.

"Er….it's not what you think," he offered. Draco simply eyed him warily.

"Sure it's not. Whatever though. It's not my business," Draco replied rather curtly. Blaise was surprised by his change in tone but didn't get much of a chance to think much of it before Hermione came out next.

"Morning," she greeted them. Blaise went into his room to get ready.

"Any word from McGonagall yet?" Draco asked as Hermione took a seat on the couch next to him.

"Nothing yet. Maybe she'll have news for us at breakfast," she replied, noticing that he shifted slightly away from her when she sat down. She figured he was still probably edgy from last night. After all, she was still worried as well.

Draco sighed and leaned back against the sofa. "I wish I had come to you sooner. I feel like an idiot."

"Don't feel that way. We all understand your position…Honestly, I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes."

Blaise came in the room, his hair still wet from a quick shower. She couldn't help but notice the small beads of water dripping down his neck below the collar of his shirt. Blaise noticed her staring and gave her a knowing smirk.

"Let's go," she said, standing up and rushing towards the door in order to hide her blush.

"Get a room," Draco mumbled as he followed them out the door.

* * *

Before they could enter the Great Hall, McGonagall called out to them.

"I have news," she said simply. The four them walked swiftly to her office and took their seats.

"Did you find them?" Hermione asked with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"No, and they have sent a search party for Mr. Nott but nothing has come up so far. However, the ingredients used for the potion are easy to track. If he brewed the potion correctly, we should have his location in a few days."

"What about the mirror?" Draco asked anxiously. His fists were clenched tightly at his side, as if expecting bad news.

"Curse breakers at the ministry are currently trying to gain access to the magical properties of the mirror to figure out a way to use it as a portkey. It will take some time."

Suddenly Hermione had an epiphany. "Wait! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. The locater that Dumbledoor gave Ron! Would it help?"

Draco and Blaise looked at her with confusion. "Locator?"

"It was a light that led Ron to us when he…abandoned us for a while."

Blaise raised an eyebrow, unsurprised at Ron's behavior. "Weasley abandoned you?"

"It's a long story."

"I think that might be helpful. I will reach out to Mr. Weasley today and see if he still has it," McGonagall decided. For this, Hermione was grateful. She wanted as much time and space between her and Ron as she could have for the time being.

"So what can we do to help now?" Hermione asked.

"Stay with Mr. Malfoy until we find Mr. Nott," McGonagall said. "Is that alright with you?"

"Yes, Headmisstress." Draco said with a sigh. Blaise frowned at his dejected answer but remained silent.

"Good. Now the three of you can continue on to breakfast and classes. I have some more business at the Ministry to attend to."

The three of them made their way into the Great Hall only to be greeted by whispering and stares. News travels fast in Hogwarts. Before they could sit down, Ginny Weasley approached Hermione. Blaise felt himself growing tense as he remembered the last encounter with the young Weasley.

"Hermione," she said, tugging on Hermione's arm slightly to get her to stop.

She looked at the younger girl with confusion. "Yes, Ginny?"

"Have they found Harry? No one will tell me anything," she asked, sounding stressed. Blaise noticed dark circles under her eyes, suggesting she hadn't rested well since learning of Harry's disappearance months ago and the apparent news about the events of last night.

Hermione was surprised at Ginny's concern, although she supposed she shouldn't be. Ginny and Harry had once been the couple that no one ever thought would break up. "They're still looking, but they think they have a lead. That's all I know."

"Keep me updated?" Ginny pleaded.

A small smile broke out on Hermione's face as a tiny piece of Ginny's old personality seemed to return. "I promise." The girls nodded at each other in understanding and Ginny went back to the Gryffindor table.

As they ate their breakfast, Draco raised an eyebrow. "I thought you and the Weasley girl didn't get along anymore."

Hermione shrugged. "She's concerned about Harry."

He rolled his eyes. "Everyone's always concerned about _Potter_ ," he said as he stabbed at his toast, emphasizing his disdain at the name.

Blaise laughed. "Well he is the _chosen_ one," he said mockingly, remembering Harry's arrogance during 4th year. Hermione swatted his arm in disapproval but couldn't help but join in the laughter.

* * *

The rest of the day went on somewhat normally for the three of them. They went to class and minded their own business. Blaise and Draco were studying in the library while Hermione was finalizing some plans for the Winter Ball with the house elves.

"Shouldn't you be helping Hermione?" Draco asked, pushing his chair away from the desk and leaning back to take a break. "Planning a school event is a lot of work."

"She insisted that she be the one to talk to the house elves. Apparently she's afraid I'll speak in a condescending tone."

"Is she still running that little club of hers to free the house elves?"

"S.P.E.W. I had forgotten about that until now. I doubt it. We've both been too busy and distracted for other activities."

"Did you have any elves?"

Blaise thought back to his childhood. "Yes. We had quite a few, but we treated them well and gave them allowances each month. My mother never believed in punishing house elves like other pureblood families did."

Draco looked down sadly. "My father was one of those people…I honestly can't remember many of our elves. I freed the rest of them after the Dark Lord was defeated. The only one I remember well was Dobby."

"I remember Dobby. Wasn't he a Hogwarts elf for a while?"

"Yeah. Potter tricked my father into freeing him. Dobby came to work at Hogwarts right after, although I haven't seen him around," Draco mused, trying to think of the last time he saw the little elf.

Blaise felt extremely guilty. Did Draco really not know what happened? Hermione had told him the story of Dobby. "You don't know?"

The blonde shook his head. "Know what?"

"Dobby died."

Draco sighed and looked down sadly. "Yeah…that makes sense. My aunt's dagger must have killed him when she threw it."

"Did you know the elf well?"

"Not really. He was always nice to me though. Never afraid of me like most of the other elves."

In an attempt to lighten the mood a bit, Blaise quickly changed the subject. "So do you have anyone you're going to ask to the ball? It's only a few weeks away."

To his surprise, this seemed to put Draco in even more of a mood. "Not anymore. I don't think I'm going to go."

"Oh. I see," he replied awkwardly. This was going to be a long day.


	13. Chapter 13: Rescue

Harry was awakened by a sharp kick to the ribs. Above him stood an enraged Theodore Nott.

"Wake up, half-blood." He sneered.

Harry squinted up at him in the darkness. "What's going on, Nott?" This was the first time he had actually seen his captor rather than just a house elf. But why would Theodore Nott of all people want to kidnap him?

"Your mudblood friend and stupid Malfoy almost ruined everything. But now you can be useful to me, the final ingredient of the potion."

"What potion?" With a wave of his wand, a small bubbling cauldron appeared in front of them.

"I need the blood of someone who has repelled an army of dementors," he replied, taking out a knife.

Harry started to panic now. Any time someone needed _his_ blood for a potion, it was never a good thing. That must be what the potion was for, something to repel dementors. And that could only mean one thing. Nott's father was going to be broken out of Azkaban.

"Why are you doing this?"

"None of your business."

"You won't get away with whatever you're planning," Harry said, wincing as the knife sliced into his hand. The blood dripped down his arm as Theo collected a few drops in the cauldron.

"Oh, Potter. Now that this is finished, I already have," he said with a smirk as the contents in the cauldron began to glow a light blue color. Theo then took the pot and walked up the stairs in the corner of the room.

Harry struggled weakley against the chains that held him to the wall, too drained and malnourished to attempt wandless magic. He looked across the room at Narcissa Malfoy. She was slumped over and her hair hung limply around her face. The two of them had been left alone until tonight, but she was still unable to talk to him. He wasn't even sure that she could hear him.

He thought back to what Theo had said. Something about his "mudblood friend and Malfoy" almost ruining his plans. Whatever had happened, Hermione must be onto him. With a small smile, he closed his eyes and fell back asleep, confident that help would be on the way.

* * *

Hermione sat in her common room listing all of the food she wanted served at the Winter Ball, but couldn't focus. She was too worried about Harry and Draco's mother to think about much else. It was even worse now that Theo was on the run and armed with a dangerous potion that could release two of the most dangerous death eaters.

She had tried sending a patronus to Harry, but her patronus had come back shortly, unable to find him. Wherever he was, he was heavily guarded by magic wards. Despite Blaise's attempts to comfort her, there was a large part of her that felt guilty. She should have known something was wrong when Harry never wrote her back.

Her thoughts quickly drifted to Blaise and Draco. She couldn't helped but admit it to herself, she had feelings Blaise. It definitely seemed like he was attracted to her as well. They hadn't talked about what had developed between them, as nothing had actually happened. However, the timing for them didn't feel right. She hoped that when this was all over, maybe there would be a chance for them.

Draco on the other hand had seemed in quite a bitter mood when she tried to talk to him earlier that morning. Their friendship had started out awkwardly, but over time she considered her to be a very good friend. They never spoke of their past, and still disagreed on many things, but in their own ways, they cared about each other.

Trying to get her thoughts back on track, she quickly scanned her list of food and necessary decorations. She already met with the house elves to plan out some small details. Although it seemed silly to think about any kind of festivities when two lives were at stake.

She was brought out of her thoughts as the portrait swung open. Blaise ran in looking panicked.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately.

"Draco is gone."

* * *

Draco swore under his breath as he tripped in the hallway, scattering his papers everywhere. It just wasn't his day. On top of all the drama with finding his mother and learning that his favorite house elf died, he now had to deal with Hermione and Blaise being all lovey-dovey. He wasn't willing to admit why it bothered him so much. He couldn't have feelings for Hermione Granger of all people. While he definitely wasn't in love with her by any means, he respected and admired her for who she was. Even when he was still a child he had always noticed her, one of the many reasons he had grown to resent her so much throughout their youth. Everything was different now though. It also didn't help that if Hermione and Blaise became a couple, they'd no doubt cast him out of their little circle of friendship the three of them had developed. He couldn't stand to be alone again.

Being watched and monitored all day didn't help to lighten his mood either. He was grateful that Blaise cared enough to stay with him, but he needed room to breathe. Being watched made him feel like even more of a prisoner in the castle than he already was.

"Do you need some help?" A light voice asked from behind him. Before he could turn around, a slender arm appeared next to his and began gathering his papers.

"Greengrass," he greeted. He had seen Astoria Greengrass at the Slug Club, and they always acknowledged the other. She was one of the few Slytherin girls who didn't look at him with disdain or pity.

"Malfoy," she replied. They stood up and she handed him his things.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly, slightly embarrassed that she had managed to surprise him.

He began try and strike up a conversation but there was a loud crack behind him. Theo appeared with a snarl. "You're coming with me."

Draco narrowed his eyes at Theo and took out his wand. "No." He threw a curse at Theo, knowing that it would alert McGonagall if he used an attack spell.

Theo dodged his spell and threw a curse of his own. But instead of throwing it at Draco, he hit Astoria who was backing.

Draco looked back at her in horror. "Astoria!" The curse flung her hard into the nearest wall.

Theo used this moment to grab him and apparate the two of them away. Draco could feel the magic wards that kept him from apparating claw viciously at his body.

They landed hard on the ground. It was dark, cold, and felt lifeless. Azkaban. Draco felt Theo's hand closing in on his wand to try and grab it from him. Mustering all the happiness he could think of, he cast a patronus to McGonagall.

He was met by a hard punch in the face and his wand being ripped away from him.

"Your patronus can't help you now."

"What do you want, Nott?" He asked, holding a hand to his now bloody nose.

"Did you really think the potion was for _me_ to use?" Draco's eyes widened. He couldn't possible mean… "That's right, Malfoy. _You're_ going to drink this potion. And _you're_ going to get our fathers out."

Theo shoved the potion in his hands. Draco stared at it for a moment. "And if I don't?"

"Then you'll be responsible for the death of your mother and Harry Potter."

* * *

For a long time, Blaise had wondered why he was so personally invested in the rescue of Potter and Malfoy's mother. Now, looking at Hermione's pained and worried expression, it became abundantly clear. What mattered to her mattered to him. As for Mrs. Malfoy, Draco was his friend and he had lost his own mother not too long ago. He didn't want Draco to go through the same thing.

Blaise, Hermione, and McGonagall stood outside Theodore Nott's manor as curse breakers frantically tried to disarm the wards surrounding the house. They had insisted that McGonagall let them come to make sure the two captives were okay, and there hadn't been enough time for her to refuse anyway. Nott had used dark magic to arm the house, so it was taking them longer than usual to break through. McGonagall had turned Dumbledoor's illumator over to the Aurors, helping them to confirm that Harry was indeed close. As soon as Theo was announced as dangerous, the Aurors had scouted his mansion to find it heavily guarded. It had taken them all day to reach this point in their curse breaking.

"What's taking them so long?" Hermione wondered anxiously. At the door there were several men and woman in black robes murmuring incantations and waving their wands in intricate patterns. Every so often there was a ripple and faint glow as the magic shields slowly depleted.

"This is very dark and very advanced magic," McGonagall said with a deep frown. "The boy's father must have sent him instructions somehow from Azkaban."

"Is there any news on Theo's location?" Blaise asked the head auror coming towards them now.

"We have tracked the componenets in the potion to the outskirts of Azkaban. We also believe Mr. Malfoy was taken there due to the breach in Hogwart's wards when he was abducted."

"Ms. Winter it's good to see you again. Thank you for helping so much with this case," Hermione greeted the older woman once again. "What about the curse breakers?"

"Any moment now we will be able to enter the manor."

Just a few moments later, there was a loud explosion as the wards around the house finally broke.

"Wait here," the head auror said sternly as she and four other aurors rushed inside.

Blaise noticed Hermione's fists clenched tightly at her sides, obviously stressed. He put an arm around her comfortingly and pulled her close.

"It will be okay," he assured her. "We'll see Harry and Mrs. Malfoy soon. They _have_ to be here."

A few minutes later there was a large explosion from inside the manor. Annabelle Winter came out first, covered in smoke and looking triumphant. Next, out came an auror helping Harry to walk and another auror carrying Narcissa Malfoy.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, tears of happiness pouring down her face as she ran towards them. "I've got him," she said quickly to the auror, who placed Harry's arm over her shoulder.

"Hey, Hermione." He said weakly with a smile.

"They found you! You're safe now. You're safe," she sobbed into his shoulder.

Blaise approached the male auror who was carrying Narcissa. She looked up at him through half-closed eyes. "Is she going to be alright?" He asked the auror.

"Both of them need medical examination, but we think they should be fine. Just a bit malnourished is all."

Blaise looked over to Hermione and Harry, who seemed to be relieved to see each other once again. All they needed to do now was to find Draco and Theo before it was too late.


	14. Chapter 14: Found

"Mr. Potter, I need you to run us through exactly what happened one more time," Annabelle Winter said to him. He looked at Hermione who nodded and squeezed his hand in encouragement. Even though Draco was still missing, having Harry gave her a small piece of hope again.

Harry went through the details of his kidnapping and his encounter with Theo once again to the head auror. They had given him some nourishing potions and he now had his strength back. It didn't appear that he was tortured in any way. Mrs. Malfoy on the other hand, needed medical attention.

As Harry told his story, Blaise felt incredibly guilty. He was the one who had suspected that Theo and Pansy were up to something from the beginning and didn't investigate further. Pansy had been returned to her parents and was not to leave the house or the country until her trial. He couldn't help but blame himself for not doing anything sooner.

"Okay. We need you to stay in ministry custody for the night to plan out the upcoming trials for Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Nott once we find him." Harry nodded in agreement as the head auror left the three of them alone.

"So…What's Blaise Zabini doing here?" He asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Oh," Hermione exclaimed, having temporarily forgotten that Harry and Blaise never really talked. "Blaise is my…uh…" she looked at him.

"I'm her friend. We're glad you're back safe, Potter. You should have seen her worry about you," he finished for her.

Harry looked suspiciously back and forth between them for a moment, clearly still confused. "Well…alright then. McGonagall said you used Ron's tracking device to find me."

"Yes, although I should have thought of that sooner. I haven't really been on the best of terms with Ron so it didn't occur to me. I'm sorry, Harry." Hermione said with her head hung low.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Hermione." Harry reassured her.

"Did Theodore say anything about where he was taking Draco?" She asked.

"No. Only that he almost ruined everything. Wait a minute since when do you call him Draco?"

Hermione looked at Blaise and then back to Harry guiltily. "Well you see…Draco and Blaise are all friends? I know it sounds weird but it's the truth!"

She had been ready for Harry's judgement, but she hadn't been ready for his actual reaction. After digesting that bit of information, he threw back his head and laughed. "Of all the friendships at Hogwarts I would have never expected that."

* * *

Draco struggled against Theo's grip. "You're lying. How would someone like you manage to kidnap Potter?"

"The muggle way actually. It was fairly easy. My father taught me all I need to know about breaking through wards," Theo boasted. He took out a small vile containing the potion that he had worked so hard on all semester.

"I won't drink it." Draco insisted as he started to take some steps backwards.

Theo scowled deeply. "Alright, the hard way it is then." He shot an immobilizing curse at Draco and poured the potion down his throat and undid his spell to force him to swallow.

The potion burned his throat like acid. It felt like his entire body was on fire, not unlike the cruciatus curse. Suddenly, he felt a strange tugging sensation in his chest, as if his own magic was being siphoned out and around him. Things began to blur together as he coughed and sputtered. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of people apparate in front of Azkaban dressed in dark robes, wands drawn. _Aurors!_

Using all the strength had despite the discomfort in his lungs, he lunged himself at Theo hoping it would buy him some time for the aurors to notice them.

* * *

While Harry was recounting his story again to the Kinglsey and McGonagall, Blaise and Hermione sat on one of the benches outside his office waiting for him. Pansy's trial was set to take place once they captured Theo and after Harry and Draco were deemed as healthy enough to testify against her.

Hermione sat comfortably leaning against him with her head on his shoulder. "I feel guilty about being happy that Harry is back when Draco is missing," she admitted. It was the truth. She was incredibly relieved that Harry was back safely. However, she was also incredibly worried about Draco and about his mother's condition.

Narcissa had been taken to the hospital for nerve and muscle damage. It was unclear how many times she had been affected by the cruciatus curse, but her body was weak and she hadn't been given any treatment immediately after she was cursed.

"There's nothing wrong with being glad your best friend is safe."

"Our other best friend is missing though…"

Blaise looked at her surprised. "Best friend? I didn't know you thought of Draco that way."

"Well honestly the three of us are best friends aren't we?"

Blaise tentatively took her hand. "Is that all we are? You and I, I mean." Her face turned bright red at his words.

"I-" Before she could continue, the door opened and Kingsley, McGonagall and Harry came out.

"Thank you for your patience, Harry." Kingsley said, shaking his hand. "We're all glad to have you back."

"Absolutely, Kingsley. What's going to happen to Malfoy?"

"We'll have to investigate whatever happened and determine it from there. Either way, we will keep you and your friends informed and you're welcome to stay at the ministry as long as you need."

McGonagall gave Harry a warm hug. "If you need anything at all, just let me know."

"Thank you, professor. I will," Harry replied, forgetting her switch to headmistress. She smiled in return and made her way over to Blaise and Hermione.

"I must report back to Hogwarts, but you two stay here and wait for Mr. Malfoy to be brought back. They have aurors searching around Azkaban right now, since it's the only logical place for Theo to have taken him. I have dismissed you from your class obligations until everyone is back safely."

"Thank you, headmistresses. That means a lot to us," Hermione said. McGonagall then turned and left towards the ministry floo corridor.

"Are you really okay, Harry?" Hermione asked, slightly still concerned about his health.

"Honestly I'm fine. They gave me some food in my interrogation so I feel much better."

"What are you going to do now?" Blaise asked.

"I have some business in the auror department since I've missed a lot of training," he replied with a small laugh.

Hermione frowned at his dismissive attitude towards his condition. "Should you really be going back to work so soon?"

"It's not work. Just some catching up and planning. I'm coming back here once Malfoy is found too."

"Well…okay then. Just take care of yourself, alright? I don't want something like this happening ever again."

"I promise." Harry gave her a big hug and reached over to shake Blaise's hand. "Thanks for looking out for Hermione when I couldn't."

"Of course." Blaise replied with a charming smile. He was genuinely happy that Hermione had her best friend back, even if it made him the slightest bit jealous. The change in her behavior was definitely noticeable already.

The other part of him was incredibly worried about Draco. Having Hermione with him calmed him a bit, but the idea of Theo kidnapping Draco made him want to vomit. As he had searched the castle for Draco shortly after he had left him in the library, he found Astoria knocked unconscious on the way to the Slytherin tower. Since it was a weekend, most students were at Hogsmede and no one was around to help her. When he woke her up she weakly mumbled something about Theo taking Draco and after checking that she was okay, he took off running to find McGonagall. McGonagall had already known and told him to get Hermione.

Hermione watched Harry go a bit sad that he had to leave so soon. She looked over at Blaise and sensed his worry. Grabbing his hand gently, she pulled him in for a hug too.

* * *

Two hours they had been waiting at the ministry for any news of Draco and Theo. Suddenly, the place was hustling and bustling with aurors running around. People dashed in and out of Kingsley's office.

Annabelle Winter approached them. "Come." They followed her qithout any hesitation. She led them down to one of the lower floors of the auror department where there was a holding cell.

In the cell, Theo lay on the ground knocked out and restrained. Draco was sitting on a chair in the corner receiving medical treatment. He had cuts running down his face and bruises beginning to form on his arms.

"Draco!" Blaise called out as he and Hermione rushed towards him.

Draco lifted his head and smiled as they approached. "Hey guys. Sorry to worry you-"

Before he could continue, both Blaise and Hermione gave him a big hug together.

The medi-witch frowned at their actions. "Please be careful of Mr. Malfoy's injuries," she scolded as they pulled back a bit.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked.

Draco laughed. "Just a few bumps and bruises. Apparently I have a broken rib and some internal injuries, but they should be fine by the end of the week."

"What exactly happened to you?" Hermione asked, eyeing Theo's limp body in the cell.

"Nott kidnapped me. When he pulled me out of Hogwarts, it alerted McGonagall since I'm not allowed to go anywhere outside without permission. Didn't realize that the wards would hurt though…anyway he forced me to drink some of the potion. Nasty stuff. The aurors got there so I tried to fight Nott to buy me some time. The aurors came just in time to knock him out and disarm him."

"Well…We're both so glad you're okay. We were very worried…also we have some news," Hermione said with a big smile.

"News?"

"They found Harry and your mother," Blaise said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Draco sat still for a moment absorbing this. "Where is she?" He said excitedly, suddenly standing up.

"Your mother is in the hospital. I'm sure they'll let you see her once they've finished bandaging you," Hermione said with a big smile.

Draco looked down impatiently at the medi-witch who was tightening a bandage around his ribs. "Are we finished here?"

"Almost," she replied. With one more yank and a quick incantation, the bandage tied itself at the ends and tightened immensely. He grunted in slight pain as he adjusted to the feeling. "Now we're done, Mr. Malfoy."

Annabelle Winter, who seemed to be everywhere they went, came over to Draco. "We'll need to get your statement and official recounting of events. But for now, I will take you to see your mother and update you on her condition. Afterwards, you'll need to come back with me to the ministry," she explained.

He nodded and took her hand to apparate to the hospital, leaving Blaise and Hermione alone.

"Well, I suppose we should go back to Hogwarts then?" Blaise asked, slightly unsure of what to do.

"It seems we're only in the way if we stay here…" Hermione said a bit sadly. Just a few years ago, she and her friends had worked together to save the wizarding world. It was strange to not play the hero anymore, but also oddly comforting.

Blaise took her hand, and together they went to floo back to Hogwarts, hoping that the worst of their troubles were finally behind them.


	15. Chapter 15: Planning for the Ball

The next week went by in a blur. Later that night, Draco was sent back to Hogwarts. He told them that his mother was going to be alright. She was being taken care of and would probably be back home in a few days after several check-ups. Theo and Pansy were tried for their attempted crimes against the wizarding world to which Draco and Harry testified. Astoria Greengrass was also present as a witness to Draco's kidnapping. Theo and Pansy were sentenced to 10 years in Azkaban right next to his father. As a reward for good behavior and bravely buying time for the aurors to stop them, Draco's tracking spells would be taken away and he was free to go anywhere he wishes as long as he finished his 8th year.

The three of them did their best to adjust back to normalcy. News of what had happened spread quickly, but strange stares and whispers weren't anything new to them, so they ignored them. The Winter Ball was approaching the coming weekend and it was Hermione and Blaise's job to finalize everything despite the drama.

They were sitting in their common room, papers and lists spread out on the table and the couches.

"What about bringing guests?" Hermione asked him as she took a sip of her hot tea.

"One guest should be allowed per student," Blaise said. "Although the main point of the ball is to be bringing students and houses together. We should do something to promote inter-house unity."

Hermione waved her wand over the papers spread around on the couch. They neatly arranged themselves into organized stacks on the table. She lay back down on the couch and put her arms behind her head.

"You're right. How about a contest? The best couple from different houses will win a prize or something and people can cast votes throughout the ball."

"I like that idea. I'll let McGonagall know to set up a voting area," he replied, making a note to remind him to do that later.

Blaise looked over the list of rules and regulations for the ball while Hermione appeared to fall asleep. Things seemed even more different between them lately. It seemed to him that they practically acted like a couple, except they weren't. Perhaps she was waiting for him to make a move, which he certainly was willing to do if it weren't for the fact that every time he tried they were interrupted.

Another thing he realized was that if she was asking about bringing guests to the ball, did that mean she wanted to invite Harry as her date? Or perhaps she was referring to some of the friendships formed with other schools during the last ball. But then did that mean she wanted to invite Viktor Krum?

There were so many little things making him nervous. He had planned to ask Hermione to go to the ball with him, but if she planned on inviting someone else he didn't know what he would do.

* * *

This morning's potions class was a partner assignment to find certain ingredients for a potion they would be making as a class. Blaise and Draco were walking by the lake looking for certain water roots. Hermione had been paired with a boy from Ravenclaw and was sent near the forest for something else.

"So who are you going to take to the ball?" Blaise asked Draco as he was checking their textbook for the exact plant they needed. He stumbled for a moment and looked a bit surprised.

"I hadn't really given it much thought…Actually I'm not sure if I'm going to go," he mumbled, suddenly seeming more interested in the page than before.

"What? Oh come on you've seen how much work we've put into this thing. It will be fun!"

Draco examined a picture in the book before slamming it shut. "At the last Yule Ball, Pansy was hanging all over me the entire night. It was terrible."

Blaise laughed, remembering that night. "You didn't seem to mind it too much back then."

"I had actually planned on asking Greengrass to the Yule Ball that year, but someone else got to her first." Draco admitted.

"Which one?" Blaise asked. There was Astoria and Daphne. As far as he could remember, he had never noticed Draco interacting with either of them very much before until recently.

"Astoria. I always thought she was kind of pretty."

"Why don't you ask her to this one then? Besides, you two always get along well enough at Slughorn's parties," he pointed out.

Draco gave him a flat look. "Do you really believe that after all the drama revolving around me this year that she'd want to be anywhere near me? She barely spoke to me during the trial. Especially after being attacked simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time with me. The person I wanted to ask in the first place isn't available, so I highly doubt Astoria doesn't have a date by now anyway."

"She doesn't seem overly upset about it now though. Wait, you had planned on asking someone? I thought you said you hadn't given it much thought."

Draco's eyes widened, realizing that he had said too much. "Just…oh never mind," he said, turning away clenching his jaw.

Blaise looked at Draco in confusion. What was wrong with him? If he had planned on asking someone that wasn't available and it wasn't Astoria…the only other person he had been close enough to recently to ask…

"Draco?" He said tentatively.

"What?" Draco replied rather irritated now.

Blaise gulped, afraid of the answer. "Did you want to ask Hermione?"

Draco didn't answer and looked at his feet. His fist clenched the textbook tightly. That was all the confirmation Blaise needed.

"Oh…I see," he mumbled in response. This changed things. It also explained why Draco had been so abrasive when he saw him come out of Hermione's room a few days ago. But how could Draco suddenly have feelings for her? Had he just never noticed?

"It doesn't matter. Just forget I said anything ok? I know you're planning on asking her." Draco said, shoulders sagging in defeat.

"Do you like her? As more than a friend," Blaise asked.

Draco blew a strand of hair away from his eyes. "Honestly, I don't know. I started caring about her a few weeks ago. It's humbling to know that despite your past mistakes, someone can start over with you like she has with me…I was angry when I thought you two had slept together."

"I remember," Blaise said feeling a little guilty.

"But I'm not in love with her. Not like you are," he said seriously, turning to face Blaise.

Blaise took a step back in surprise. "What?"

"I've seen the way you look at her, the way you act around her, the way you touch her all the time. It's more than flirting. You're fallen in love with Hermione Granger."

And with that, Draco started walking firmly towards the water and began to wave his wand, searching for the correct plant. Blaise slowly followed him, not knowing what to say. Everything Draco said had been true…his feelings for Hermione had grown into something much more. And it seemed like she felt the same way.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Hermione was on her way to Ancient Runes class when she noticed Ginny and Harry talking at the end of a nearby hallway. Harry was here? Why wouldn't he tell her he was stopping by? They seemed to be finishing their conversation. Ginny smiled at Harry and brought him in for a light hug before saying goodbye and heading into the classroom ahead of her.

Very confused, Hermione made her way over to Harry, who was stuffing something in his pocket with a small smile on his face.

"Harry!" She exclaimed, as she took her turn to hug him.

"Hey, Hermione. I was coming to surprise you…well, update you on what's going on and talk to McGonagall. Ginny ran into me and wanted to talk to me."

"About what?"

"She asked me if I would go to the Winter Ball with her…as kind of a starting over thing."

Hermione's jaw dropped open. "What about Dean?"

He shrugged. "Ginny never cheated on me with Dean. They're just close friends…It's kind of complicated."

"Explain it to me later? I have to go to class."

"Of course. I'll see you later," he said, giving her one last hug.

After class, Hermione found Harry waiting for her in the common room of the head dormitory.

"Hi, Harry! How did you get in here?"

"Blaise let me in. He said to tell you he'd be back later this evening."

"Oh, alright." She said, sitting down on the couch next to him. "So tell me what's going on."

"I'm back in the auror department, although they have to take me through the basic training since I missed most of it. Oh, also I put new wards around my apartment."

"Good. Your safety is the most important thing to worry about."

"Agreed. I'm planning on moving soon." He shifted slightly. "Also, I saw Ron yesterday."

"Really? What did he want?"

"He came to make sure I was okay. He also apologized to me in his own way about what happened between you two."

"He came to visit me a few months ago and said the same thing. Although it didn't end very well after he said some nasty things about Blaise."

"Sounds like Ron's tact," Harry sighed. "I do think he's changed a little bit though. For the better. He seemed like he was in a healthier state of mind yesterday."

"I hope so. He deserves to be happy, despite everything." Hermione smiled as she fondly remembered the three of them together on their adventures.

"Oh right, Ginny. I was on my way to McGonagall's office when she pulled me aside. She basically told me that when we had our fight about the letters to Dean I never let her explain…that's true I suppose. I was too angry at the time and I just assumed she had been cheating on me."

"So what was she writing to him about?"

"Dean was injured over the summer, which he spent rebuilding Hogwarts. Ginny found out and reached out to him in the hospital. He opened up to her that he had been having problems at home, and he had purposely gotten injured so that he wouldn't have to go back home until school started."

"That's awful," Hermione gasped. "So she was just helping him through it? I guess I understand but she must have known how it looked at the time."

"She did, but she was so withdrawn from everything. All of the Weasleys were. We agreed that we wanted to try us again, but take things slow."

Hermione studied Harry for a moment. "Wait, then why was Ginny so mad at me?"

"She was angry that you left Ron. She didn't know about what he did to you, and assumed you left him out of selfishness when you couldn't bear to help him through Fred's death. Don't worry, I set the record straight," he added when he saw the brief offended look on her face.

She took a calming breath before looking at him again. "Well, good. Thank you for setting the record straight. She asked about you when you were gone. It was clear she was worried."

"It's nice to know that at least on some level she still cared," he sighed.

Hermione took his hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "We all care, Harry."

"Thanks," he replied with a warm smile. "So, what's with you and Zabini these days?"

She lurched at the sudden change in subject. "What do you mean?"

"I may wear glasses, Hermione, but I'm not blind. You like him don't you," he said teasingly. He laughed at her deep blush. "I knew it! You two were practically a couple already when I was found."

"We're not a couple!" She said, swatting his arm.

"But you do like him?"

"It's…complicated," she finished lamely. He raised an eyebrow, silently encouraging her to elaborate. "It never seemed like the right time, if you know what I mean. A lot happened this semester with your disappearance, and then there was Draco's kidnapping and Theo's scheme. Every time I thought we were getting close enough, something would get in the way."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I care about him. A lot. But it's more than that…I think I might be falling in love with him, Harry. And it scares me. The last time I fell in love, it was with Ron, and you know how that turned out." Hermione confessed sadly.

"Blaise isn't Ron." Harry reminded her firmly. "Don't let what happened with Ron hold you back from something you want."

"You're right. So do you think he feels the same way?"

"He'd be an idiot if he didn't. And yes, it's pretty obvious."

Hermione giggled. Harry was right. Blaise hadn't exactly hidden his feelings. He had done all but confess them to her.

"What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon? I'm finished with classes for the day."

"I'd love to stay with you longer but unfortunately Anabelle wants me back at the department as soon as possible. But don't worry, I'll see you soon at the ball right?"

"Yes. Definitely," Hermione said pulling him in for a hug as they said goodbye


	16. Chapter 16: The Courage to Ask

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! I just want to thank all of you for still following my story despite the slow updates. As I've said before, inspiration to write just comes to me randomly and it's the only way the story can progress. I have a general idea of where I want to take this story, but please leave any suggestions in reviews. Over the next few weeks I'll also be going back and editing some of my chapters, as I've noticed quite a few grammatical mistakes when I go back and re-read some parts. Anyway, that's it for now. Any reviews, favorites, and follows are much appreciated!**

* * *

"So," Hermione began as she cookie crumbs around on her plate. "Have you seen Blaise since class today?"

"No. Why?" Draco asked, looking up from his textbook.

"Oh no reason. It's just unusual for him to be gone this long without telling us where he went."

"Well if he told you he'd be back later tonight I'm sure he will be," he said dismissively.

She frowned at his flippant attitude but didn't say anything. It wasn't like Blaise to miss meals or be gone at night. She and Draco had waited until near the end of dinner for him to show up. There were only a few students left in the Great Hall now, but Draco didn't seem worried at all. This was one of the few times she actually wished for muggle technology in the wizarding world. If only Blaise had a cell phone so she could just call him. Sending a patronus would probably be a little over the top.

Instead, she turned her attention to the Christmas decorations around the room. There was a huge Christmas tree decorated with all the house colors in the far corner of the room. The regular golden candles had been replaced with silver and large bow ties and ribbons hung near the torches on the walls. The house elves had also hung up similar decorations around the head dorm room. She had added her own scented candles around her room, the scent of pinewood trees. Hogwarts was truly a beautiful sight in the winter.

Glancing at Draco, he seemed much more relaxed now than all semester. Having his mother back safely relieved pretty much all of his stress and tension. He looked up from his book as the last student other than the two of them in the Great Hall cleared out.

Hermione sighed and pushed her plate away as the house elves started appearing to clean the tables. "Well, I suppose it's time to go to bed. I hope Blaise comes back soon."

"I'm sure he's fine," Draco replied, standing up and beginning to walk out of the hall. Hermione followed him and they walked together until they parted ways as she went back to the head dorm.

As she walked into the common room, she was surprised to find Blaise standing there looking out the window.

"Blaise! Where have you been? I've was getting worried-" She began to question him but stopped as he turned around, holding a bouquet of roses and white lilies. "Are those for me?" She asked, pointing at the beautiful flowers.

"Who else?" He teased, as she came over to him and took them from him. "Sorry I was gone all evening. I'm not very good at these kinds of things so it took me longer than I thought it would," he explained, nervously running his hand through his hair.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, inhaling the scent of the roses.

Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a hug, careful not to crush the flowers in the process.

Hermione was frozen in shock and could feel her face burning from a deep blush. He leaned down close to her ear, his breath tickling her neck.

"Blaise, what-"

"Will you go to the ball with me, Hermione?" Blaise whispered.

It was a simple question, one which he already knew the most probably answer to, but it still made him nervous. He had been deciding which flowers to get her all day at Hogsmeade and working up the courage to actually ask her. He wanted it to feel special.

Hermione couldn't contain her smile at the question and turned her head to give him a light kiss on the cheek. "Yes!"

* * *

Draco sat on one of the window seats next to his bed. It was about midnight and most of the other Slytherins had gone to sleep. If everything had gone according to plan, Blaise should have asked Hermione to the ball three hours ago and she probably said yes. After their conversation at the lake, Blaise told him about his plan to get flowers and asked him to keep Hermione busy until he returned.

He was happy for Blaise and Hermione. Despite his own crush on her, he knew it probably wouldn't have worked out. They were just too different, even though they had gotten over the past. He still felt guilty about the scar on her arm, and she still probably hadn't been able to put the traumatic experience at his house behind her.

He thought back to his past experiences with Blaise and Hermione before the war. He never thought very highly of Blaise. Blaise had just been someone in Slytherin that he could use to help him through his mission. Being the most influential person in Slythern at the time had made it almost impossible for Blaise to refuse doing whatever he said. At the time, he thought most people in Slytherin respected him, either out of fear or envy. Never in a million years did he think he would ever have a genuine friend.

That was one of the many reasons he despised Potter and his friends so much, Hermione included. It didn't help that he thought Potter was arrogant, but to make it worse he could tell that Potter wouldn't have gotten anywhere without Hermione over the years. She was the only one of the Golden Trio that had any brains and common sense. She was the exact opposite of everything he had been taught about muggles from his father. He was jealous and lost, so his way of dealing with those feelings was being more of a jerk than necessary to her.

The sound of arguing in the common room downstairs brought him out of his thoughts, so he decided to quietly sneak down the stars to see what was going on.

"I already told you, I'm not going to do that!" He heard a girl's voice hiss.

"Aw, come on. Just tonight! If I lose this dare I'll look like an idiot."

"Get away from me," the girl said a little more loudly this time. This time, Draco could tell that it was Astoria downstairs. At the sound of a brief scuffle he entered the common room to see a 6th year Slytherin boy he had seen a few times grabbing onto her arm. Astoria clearly looked like she wanted nothing to do with him.

"I suggest you let her go," Draco said with a pointed look at the boy. Astoria looked up at him with a relieved expression.

The boy quickly let go of Astoria. "Come on, Malfoy," he whined. "I just need her for tonight. It was a dare and if I don't follow through I'll look like a fool. You know how that stuff is."

Draco glared at his idiotic housemate. "Leave now, before I let Slughorn know what you just tried to do."

Mumbling angrily to himself, the younger boy brushed past Draco and went upstairs. Astoria let out a shaky breath and sat down on the couch.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'll be fine. Thanks, Malfoy," she said, fidgeting her hands in her lap.

"What happened?"

"Apparently his friends dared him to get me to spend the night with him. You know how boys are at that age, all hormonal and jackasses."

"I definitely do. That doesn't make it right to act that way though."

There was a long silence between them, neither quite knowing what to say. Finally, Draco gathered up some courage to say what he had been meaning to since the trial.

"About what happened with Nott…I'm sorry. If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have been attacked."

She looked up at him, surprised at his apology. "It wasn't your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"You wouldn't have been there if you hadn't been helping me pick up my stuff."

"Malfoy don't be ridiculous. I was in that hallway on my own accord. Besides, it was probably a good thing I was there. I was a helpful witness at your trial, right?"

"Yes but I still feel bad…"

"Really, I'm fine. Thank you for your apology nonetheless," she said as she stood up. "Well, it's late, I'm going to go to bed now. Thanks again for helping me just now."

As she made it up three steps to the girls' dorm, Draco spoke.

"Wait!" He called out. She stopped looked down at him questioningly. "Do you…do you have a date for the ball?"

"No," she said shyly, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

He gulped, summoning all the courage he had. "Then…would you like to go with me?"

Astoria's small smile turned into a full smile as she nodded. "Yes. I'd love to."

He couldn't help but notice the butterflies in his stomach as she smiled at him fully for the first time. Maybe he should have listened to Blaise earlier.

"Great! Goodnight, Astoria." She gave him one more smile before turning back and going up the steps.


	17. Chapter 17: The Winter Ball

Blaise nervously smoothed out his tux and examined himself in the mirror. Although it was a little embarrassing, he had scoured through the Wizard Weekly magazine to find the correct hair charms for men. His long black hair was styled in curly layers that were parted with loose bangs. Two years ago his mother brought him back this tux from Italy as a present, and he was happy to finally be able to put it to good use. It was finally the night of the Winter Ball, the very event he and Hermione had planned from the beginning of the semester. Draco had finally plucked up the courage to ask Astoria to the ball the same night he asked Hermione. Everything was really coming together.

The past few days leading up to the ball had been great. Although he and Hermione still weren't technically official, their flirting had definitely increased. Whether it would be subtle glances or soft touches here and there, it was clear she felt the same way about him. All that was left to do was ask her to be his girlfriend, and tonight would be the night.

He heard the clock chime in the distance. It was time to go to the ball. Taking a deep breath, he walked out to the common room over to Hermione's door and knocked.

"Give me one more minute, Blaise!" she called from the other side. He paced nervously in front of her door until she finally came out.

When he saw her, he thought he forgot how to breathe. She looked absolutely stunning. Rather than the pretty pink dress she had worn during 4th year, she was dressed in a dark green, strapless gown with silver jewels on the bodice that flared out at the bottom and pooled around her feet. Her hair was piled elegantly in a bun with a few loose strands framing her face. A pair of crystal earrings emphasized her high cheekbones. He could tell she must have been wearing heels because she seemed a few inches taller than usual.

"Wow," he said a bit breathlessly. "Slytherin colors?"

Hermione giggled nervously, pushing a few strands of hair away from her face. "Forest green and silver," she corrected. "Is it too much?"

"Not at all. You look beautiful," he told her honestly. "But," he said coming to stand behind her. "I think this will complete the look."

It was Hermione's turn to be breathless as he placed his mother's silver rose pendant around her neck.

"Blaise, I can't wear this," she protested, lightly touching the rose. It was far too special.

"It's not a gift," he said, fastening the clasp and letting his fingers rest on the back of her neck for a moment. "It's just for tonight. I'd like if you would wear it."

"Alright then. I'd be honored to," she said with a warm smile.

"Shall we head downstairs?" He asked holding out his arm.

"I think so," she replied, taking his arm as he led the way.

When they reached the staircase that led down to the Great Hall, they could already hear the music playing and sounds of excitement and chatter. Couples passed them laughing and glancing back to admire them. Neville and Luna passed them and waved to Hermione. Hermione looked around for Harry and but couldn't find him in the crowd. She did manage to spot Andy and another younger girl from Hufflepuff, making her chuckle as he waved enthusiastically at them before going in.

"Blaise!" Draco waved from the bottom of the stairs. Draco was also in a formal tux. Astoria stood next to him wearing a long-sleeved off the shoulder lace purple gown with her hair cascading in waves around her shoulders. They looked like a picture-perfect pureblood aristocratic couple.

Blaise and Hermione made their way down the stairs towards them.

"You both look great!" Hermione said as they approached. She and Astoria had only spoken a few times formally at the Slug Club parties, but got along well enough.

"So do you two," Astoria replied, weaving her arm through Draco's. Blaise noticed this and raised an eyebrow teasingly at Draco, who pretended not to notice.

As the four them walked into the Great Hall, they were amazed at the final decorations. It looked almost exactly like the Yule Ball during fourth year.

Blaise caught Draco's awestruck expression and smirked. "And you didn't want to come," he teased. Draco rolled his eyes back at him as McGonagall approached them.

"Mr. Zabini, Ms. Granger," she greeted. "I want to personally thank you for planning the Winter Ball. It all turned out wonderfully."

"You're welcome, headmistress. Without all the help you've given us this semester, it wouldn't have come together so nicely," Hermione replied. It was true. McGonagall had given them time off during Harry's disappearance and even extended their deadlines on some of their essays. She could understand doing it for her, but she had given Blaise the same treatment so that he could be there to support her. That was more than Hermione could ever ask for.

"Well, I hope you all have a wonderful time tonight," McGonagall said, placing a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder and smiling fondly at Blaise before she left to go to the podium.

The music quieted as all the attention was directed to McGonagall. "Good evening," she began. "Welcome to the Winter Ball. I hope most of you will recognize the theme, as we did our best to mimic the Yule Ball four years ago. This year had a rocky start, but I believe that we have all grown over the past few months to accept each other and embrace our differences. To further promote this concept, you will be able to vote on the best couple from different houses tonight. The winning couple shall receive 50 points each to their houses." Excited whispers broke out and she had to shush them before she continued. "The voting booth is set up in the back of the room and you may vote for the next two hours. The winners shall be announced at the end of the ball. I'd also like to thank our head boy and head girl for organizing everything, they've done a tremendous job. Tonight should be about friendship and fun. I hope you all enjoy yourselves, responsibly of course," she added, earning a few chuckles from the students. "If I do not see any of you tomorrow morning before the train leaves, I hope you all have a fantastic winter vacation! Cherish this time with your family and your loved ones, and return ready to work hard at school."

The music began again as McGonagall stepped down to talk to the other professors.

Everyone began to dance together, forgetting all their worries for the first time in a while. Hermione had forgotten how much she loved dancing. Everyone had thought she was just a bookworm, but in 4th year she had proven all of them wrong by dancing gracefully with Viktor Krum and letting loose when the band played. Tonight was no different. Dancing with new friends just made it even more fun.

Blaise felt truly happy as the four of them just enjoyed being young adults, something they hadn't been able to do in years. During 4th year, a girl from Beauxbatons had asked him to the Yule Ball and he had accepted. She ended up ditching him halfway through the night to sneak off with an older boy from Durmstrang, so he made it a point to promptly forget her name and any other distinguishing feature of hers.

From the corner of her eye, Hermione spotted Harry and Ginny in the entrance hall and excused herself for a moment.

"Harry!" She greeted him with a hug. She looked at Ginny for a moment, hesitating before she did the unexpected. She leaned in and gave Ginny a small hug too. She was even more surprised when the younger girl hugged her back. Perhaps having Harry back in her life was helping her revert back to her old self. "When did you get here?"

"Hey, Hermione. About 15 minutes ago. Ginny and I are actually going outside for a little while. The ball is a bit too stuffy for us at the moment. We need some air," he explained apologetically.

"Oh, alright. Well come dance with us later if you two feel like it," she said to them before returning to Blaise.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity of dancing, eating, chatting, and dancing again, the band stopped to make an announcement.

 _"Alright everyone we've had a lot of fun tonight, but it's time for the final song of the evening."_ This was met with a lot of complaining but he held his hand up to continue speaking. _"Grab your date or someone special and head to the dance floor. The winners of the Inter-House couple contest will be announced right after we finish!"_

People rushed with their dates to the dance floor immediately as a slow song came on.

"Shall we?" Blaise asked Hermione, holding his hand out. She shyly took it and followed him to the middle of the crowd. Blaise pulled her close and they began to sway with the music. Draco and Astoria did the same nearby.

"Thanks for being my date tonight," Hermione said. "Our hard work has really paid off."

"There's no one else I'd rather be here with."

Almost as if they were in a fairytale, snow started falling from the charmed ceiling. This was a special spell Dumbledore and McGonagall had created for the Yule Ball years ago.

Blaise stared at Hermione, admiring her beauty and going over what he had planned to say in his mind. She looked down to attempt at hiding her blush at his intense gaze.

"What?"

He gently lifted her chin to look at him. "Have I ever properly thanked you for saving my life?" He asked in a serious tone.

She looked at him in confusion. "When do you mean?"

"At the battle. Madame Pomfrey told me what happened."

"Oh," she replied, remembering that day. "You don't have to thank me, Blaise. I already told you that I thought you acted incredibly bravely."

A whirlwind of emotions was rustling through him. He felt his face heat up as he took a breath and finally began to say what he should have said long ago.

"You saved me, Hermione. More than just my life. Before we became friends I was depressed. I had lost everything, even myself. You brought me out of the dark place I was trapped in and into the light with you." He inwardly kicked himself for adding the last bit, realizing how utterly cliché it sounded.

Moved by his words, she gave his hand a light squeeze. "We brought each other here," she said. "You've helped me too more than you know."

Blaise felt a million butterflies in his stomach at her words. Never had he felt happier. Suddenly, he realized the song was ending soon. Summoning all the courage he could muster, he gently tightened his grip on her waist, leaned in, and kissed her.

Hermione's whole world froze when Blaise's lips touched hers in the middle of the dance floor. The moment couldn't have been any more perfect. She brought her hand behind his head, running her fingers through his soft black hair and deepened the kiss.

It had been so long since she had felt this happy. The song was over, but the only thing she was aware of was how good his lips felt.

When they finally broke away breathless, people around them were staring and whispering. As usual, they had somehow become the center of attention at Hogwarts. Draco gave Blaise a knowing smirk and a thumbs up, but he was too lost in Hermione's eyes to notice.

 _"Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time to announce the winners!"_ The lead band member said from the stage. Everyone's gaze was turned towards the band, but Blaise and Hermione only looked at each other.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Blaise confessed, pressing his forehead against hers.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted you to do that," she said with a giggle. Glancing at him she saw the small curl of his lips turn into a breathtaking smile. He was so incredibly handsome that this all had to be a dream, although she prayed to all the deities she could name that it was real.

 _"The winners of the Inter-House Couple contest are….your very own head boy and head girl, Blaise Zabini of Slytherin and Hermione Granger of Gryffindor!"_

The room erupted with cheers and applause. Hermione and Blaise finally came out of their daze as the small fireworks burst above them.

She leaned against him, weaving their fingers together and feeling whole for the first time in years. Looking out into the crowd, she noticed Harry and Ginny also holding hands, smiling happily at her. Draco and Astoria were clapping, Draco looking quite smug. She had never felt more content.

* * *

After the Winter Ball had died down and students were going back to bed, Blaise and Hermione decided to take a walk by the lake after grabbing their winter coats.

They walked along a narrow trail. A light breeze created ripples on the water and ruffled their hair. Blaise breathed in the crisp winter air and let his gaze wander at the gorgeous scenery around them.

He smiled and turned to Hermione. "Beautiful isn't it?"

"It's the perfect night," she said happily.

"It is," Blaise agreed. "Did you see Andy and his date? They were so cute I'm surprised they didn't win the contest."

"I didn't even know we were eligible to win considering we're head boy and head girl," she said with a laugh. "I guess people have become more accepting of the idea that a Gryffindor and a Slytherin can be more than friends after all. You remember those looks I got for the first few weeks when I dared to sit at your table?"

"Who could forget that? Or the even crazier stares we got when you and Draco became friends. That will probably go down in Hogwarts history."

"Let's rest for a moment," Hermione said pointing to the bench up ahead. They sat down and Blaise pulled out his wand to produce a temporary warming spell on the air around them.

"Where did you learn how to do that?"

He grinned, putting his wand away. "My mother taught it to me. She always complained it was too cold until she learned how to do it."

They sat together for some time, watching the ripples on the lake. The moon rose high in the sky, giving the lake a glowing effect.

"What are your plans for winter vacation?" Blaise asked, seemingly out of nowhere. This caught Hermione by surprise, as she hadn't actually planned anything.

"Oh, I hadn't really thought that far in advance to be honest."

"Are you going to stay with Harry maybe?"

"No he's far too busy with other things. I wouldn't want to inconvenience him. Maybe I'll just stay here at Hogwarts. I'm sure professor Slughorn or headmistress McGonagall wouldn't mind some extra help around the castle."

Blaise frowned at this. "Wouldn't you be lonely?"

She looked at him sadly. "Without you I would be." She knew Draco was probably going home to be with his mother and Harry would be too busy with his work.

He gently took her hand. "Why don't you come stay with me for winter break? It would be boring in my manor by myself."

Hermione felt her face heat up at his suggestion and what it implied. He rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm not asking you to move in or anything. I just don't want you to be alone if you don't have to be," he reassured her. It was far too early in their relationship for anything like that. "Maybe then I could take you out on a proper date."

She relaxed at his words. "I would really like that. Okay, I'll come with you then."

Smiling, Blaise wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She let her head rest on his shoulder as they admired the view in front of them, wishing that the night would never end.


	18. Chapter 18: What the Future Holds

Hermione neatly folded her clothes and placed them in her trunk. Last night at the Winter Ball, she and Blaise had finally become a real couple, and she felt happier than she could remember being in years. A light knock at the door shook her out of her thoughts.

Blaise leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed and a raised eyebrow. "Packing the muggle way?"

"I've always done it this way. I've got remind myself of my muggle part heritage," she replied with a smile. "You should try it sometime you know. It can be rather therapeutic."

He came over and hugged her from behind. "I'd rather just watch you do it."

She turned her head to place a kiss on his cheek. "You're so weird. Are you all packed?"

"Yup. Draco wants to come up and say goodbye before he leaves. He should be here any moment." A moment later there was a loud knock on the door to their common room.

Hermione untangled herself reluctantly from Blaise's arms and they went to open the door for Draco.

He took one look at them and gave them his trademark smirk in full. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

She swatted his arm. "Don't be silly. Come in."

"How'd things go with Astoria last night?" Blaise asked cheekily. He was also met with a swat on his arm from Hermione. "What? It's a valid question!" He cried indignantly as they sat down on the couches.

"It was fun. We promised to write each other over vacation. She's going to travel with her parents to France, so I won't be able to see her."

"Are you doing anything fun with your mother?"

Draco thought about it for a moment. "I think she'll just want to rest. She's still technically in a recovery period after all."

Hermione nodded sympathetically. "Well it's good that she's getting better."

"So you two are spending vacation together?" He asked, looking at Blaise's trunk by the door which had Hermione's coat draped over it.

"Yes. I invited her to come stay at the manor. You're welcome to come visit too anytime," he added.

"That might be nice, although my main focus will be helping my mother." Draco said. "Alright, well I think I'd better be off. I'll see you two sometime over winter break hopefully. If not, have a great time."

Hermione and Blaise each gave him a hug before he left.

"Ok. Time for you to finish packing," Blaise said to her. " _The magic way!"_ He emphasized as she retreated to her room.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him before closing the door at his comment.

As Blaise waited for her, he reflected on their semester. It had been a crazy journey over the course of only a few months. They both had lost a lot after the war, but somehow they managed to build each other up again. Losing his mother had been the hardest thing he had ever gone through, but having Hermione in his life helped him move forward. The student body had seen their friendship and became more accepting of people from other houses, finally learning to put rivalry aside.

After a few more minutes Hermione came out from her room with her suitcase all packed and ready to go.

"Ready?" He asked her as he stood up.

"I think so."

"Alright then," he said looking around the common room one last time. "Hopefully this place won't get too dusty for the month we're gone."

"I'm sure it will be fine. One last thing before we leave," she said. As he turned his head towards her to ask what it was, she stood on her tiptoes, wrapped his arms around him and kissed him.

She finally pulled away with a big smile on her face. "Okay. _Now_ I'm ready to go."

He pulled her tightly towards him, as if he never intended on letting go. They grabbed their suitcases and held hands to apparate, ready for whatever adventures the future had in store for them.

The End.

* * *

 **Author's Note: And that's it! I know it may seem like an abrupt end to the story, but I _AM_ planning on writing a sequel sometime in the future to address the second half of the year and their winter vacation. Thank you for all of your support – it truly means the world to me. This was my very first fanfiction and I'm so happy that so many of you liked it. **

**I want to give a special thanks to sunset oaisis and HoneyBear84. You two were some of my earliest reviewers and voiced your support all the way from beginning to end. I can't even put into words how grateful I am.**

 **I'm also thankful to those who gave me constructive criticism and feedback. I know my writing isn't the best, but everyone has to start somewhere and this is only my beginning.**

 **My plans are to work on some new stories now and begin planning out the sequel. I currently have Theo/Hermione and Draco/Hermione story ideas floating around in my head, so please follow me and keep an eye out for the first chapter of one of them going up soon!**


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